International Olympic Committee

16 Jun 2023 – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has launched a new collection in honour of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the IOC and reviver of the Olympic Games. The collection celebrates the rich heritage of the Olympic spirit through a series of items that feature meaningful quotes and stylised portraits of Pierre de Coubertin. The collection is now available at shop.olympics.com

As part of the Olympic Collection, this line comprises five T-shirts, each in one of the iconic colours of the Olympic rings and made from 100% organic, GOTS-certified cotton. Many of the items have a memorable quotation that speaks to Olympic fans and will inspire younger generations to discover the ideals of Olympism. For example, “See far, speak frankly, act firmly” or “What is Olympic is universal” still resonate today and highlight Pierre de Coubertin’s vision of what sport can achieve for humanity.

The concept for the collection was inspired by the values and messages that Pierre de Coubertin embedded into the Olympics. These values seek to create a way of life based on harmony between body and mind, the joy of effort, the pursuit of excellence, and respect for others, which still inspire the Olympic Movement. Another core asset of the collection, Pierre de Coubertin’s signature, features significantly as a tangible link to the founder.

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Pierre de Coubertin was the driving force behind modern Olympism. As an educator, visionary and amateur athlete, he believed that through sport humanity could be better; that the modern world would be able to rise to the challenges facing it and that the athletes and their entourages could move society forward.Several items in the collection therefore cite many of his beliefs and words, such as: “The unfortunate thing is not failing, but failing to try”.

In addition to the T-shirts, the collection includes five keyrings, magnets and badges, as well as a tote bag, notebook and mug. The notebook and canvas bag feature a stylised portrait of Pierre de Coubertin, inspired by the Cubist movement, which was also groundbreaking in its vision and ambitions.

The Pierre de Coubertin collection is a subline of the Olympic Collection, which falls under the IOC’s global licensing programme, developed as part of the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations, to strengthen and promote the Olympic brand all year round.

Shop.olympics.com is the unified online shop operated by the IOC, through which fans can purchase official Olympic and Paralympic Games merchandise produced by licensees and suppliers appointed by the IOC and the Organising Committees for the upcoming editions of the Olympic Games, Paris 2024, Milano Cortina 2026 and LA28. It complements the Olympic store on Tmall, developed in collaboration with Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner Alibaba, the official platform for Chinese fans to purchase official Olympic and Paralympic products.