"I jump into a sand pit for a living"
A Noble Ally and Olympic Disciple
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Steve Bailey
A Noble Ally and Olympic Disciple: The Reverend Robert S. de Courcy Laffan, Coubertin's 'Man' in England, Steve Bailey, Journal of Olympic Studies, Volume VI, 1997, Pp 51-64
Reverend Robert S. de Courcy Laffan, Principal of Cheltenham College, met Pierre de Coubertin at a conference in Le Havre in 1897. Laffan spoke about the moral value of sport, stressing its physical and spiritual benefits. De Coubertin was so impressed that Laffan was invited to join the IOC. That Laffan was an English school headmaster would have resonated with de Coubertin who is known to have admired the work and teaching of Thomas Arnold, to the extent that he once wrote that he had been trying “to implant Arnold’s teachings in France”. Although de Coubertin may not have known this, Laffan like Arnold had been educated at Winchester College.
The purpose of this article is to seek to understand why and how Laffan made such an impact. That he had done some of his schooling in France and Switzerland meant that he was fluent in French and able to make an impression at the conference. Laffan left his school two years later to become a rector and was to serve on the IOC for 30 years. He said “I came to the Olympic movement prepared to scoff and remained to admire”. . Laffan is described in the article as “an exceptional administrator and competent diplomat”. That he spoke 4 languages was a great bonus.
Laffan played a role in the establishment of the British Olympic Association in 1905 and in the decision that London should host the 1908 games. All distances in 1908 were measured in metres, but some Brits insisted on referring to the Sprint as 109.3 yards rather than 100 metres.
His contribution to the 1908 Olympics was immense but there were allegations of bias in favour of British athletes and against Americans which seem not to have been answered satisfactorily. After the games he was thanked by his colleagues on the British Olympic council for the “kindly calm a tactful and wholehearted manner” in which he had carried out his duties.
The article referred to him seeing “significant spiritual meaning” in the Olympics and described him as a “proud of evangelist for the movement" but makes no reference to whether and how his Christian faith interacted with his involvement in the Olympic movement.