Conference: “The Olympic Games: values ​​and media coverage of Olympism”

Presentation

According to the International Olympic Committee, the three values ​​of Olympism are excellence, respect and friendship. They constitute the foundation on which the Olympic movement bases its activities to promote sport, culture and education with a view to building a better world.

On the occasion of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, this conference offers an opportunity to question and reflect upon the values ​​of Olympism and media coverage in a societal and political context. We will consider the notions of excellence, respect and friendship in the face of an increasingly globalised sports climate; the constraints of power and success (doping); facing environmental and security constraints; facing ethical (inclusion, morality), political (promoting nations, political marketing, soft power) and economic issues: investments, sponsorship, advertising, corruption).

This general public conference includes a keynote and two round tables: a first session on “embodying the values ​​of Olympism” which addresses the perspective of athletes, and a second one entitled “spread and share the values ​​of Olympism” from the perspective of journalists and media coverage of Olympism. Among the guests we welcome athletes, journalists and academics (French and Dutch). Question/answer sessions with the public are planned after each session.

Following the conference, an educational workshop will be organised for French teachers on educational questions about the Olympic Games in French as a Foreign Language classes. [French]

Programme

09:30: Welcome

10:00: Opening

Welcome by the organisation : Maaike Koffeman, Président of Platform Frans [English/French]

Opening words by François Alabrune, French Ambassador to the Netherlands [French]

I. Conference (Theatre)

10:15-10:45 : keynote [English]

Gijsbert Oonk (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

Round Table 1: Embodying the values ​​of the Olympic Games [English/French]

11:00-12:00: Gloria Agblemagnon (Paralympic athlete), Florine Truffaut (special educator), Paul Reef (PhD historian, Radboud University Nijmegen), Jean-Paul Derai (historian, Côte d’Azur University)

12:00-12:45: Break – lunch

Round Table 2: Disseminating and sharing values ​​of the Olympic Games [English/French]

13:00-14h00: Gio Lippens (journalist), Dorine Besson (journalist, L’Équipe), Yvan Gastaut (historian, Côte d’Azur University)

Presentation, “Paris and Amsterdam, the Olympic stadiums of 1924 and 1928” [English]

Jurryt van de Vooren (independent historian)

II. Educational workshop (room 1.01A)

15:00-16:30: How to approach the Olympics in FLE class [French].

How does one approach the subject of the Olympic Games in French class? The aim of this course is to provide teachers with teaching resources and processes for incorporating the theme of the Olympic Games into French classes, when French is being taught as a foreign language. This topical subject provides an opportunity to include the values of sport and Francophonie in teaching sequences. We will look at learning objectives that can be implemented in sequences at beginner level. Participants will work in groups to create a creative written or oral production activity that suits their teaching audience so that they can incorporate this into their programme straight away.