Célébrer Pierre de Coubertin au tournant des années 1950–1960 : entre commémoration et valorisation d’un héritage

Between 1950 and 1960, the French authorities and Olympic bodies initiated a series of commemorative events aimed at rehabilitating the figure of Pierre de Coubertin, particularly in the runup to the centenary of his birth in 1963. This resurgence of interest raises the question: why such enthusiasm when his initiatives had been downplayed or even ignored during his lifetime? This paradox between past indifference and belated celebration calls for an analysis of the underlying motivations behind this commemorative undertaking, as well as the actors involved in it.