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RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE DONATES HISTORIC OLYMPIC GAMES’ FOUNDATION DOCUMENTS TO MUSEUM

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BY DAN PALMER.

The historic manuscript in which Baron Pierre de Coubertin laid out plans to revive the Olympic Games has a new home in Lausanne after being donated by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.

It will be housed in the Olympic Museum in the Swiss city nearly 130 years after it was first created.

Usmanov, the President of the International Fencing Federation, has been revealed as the person who bought the manuscript at auction in New York City in December.

The business tycoon paid $8,806,500 (£6,764,543/€7,916,191), a price more than eight times higher than the $700,000 (£770,000/€900,000) it was estimated to go for.

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According to Sotheby’s which hosted the auction, this was the highest amount ever paid for a piece of sports memorabilia.

Written over 14 pages, the manuscript contains Coubertin’s speech in which he outlined his plan to bring back the Olympics in the modern world.

He was just 29 when he spoke at the Sorbonne in Paris, during the fifth anniversary of the Union of French Athletic Sports Societies on November 25, 1892.

In the same building two years later, the decision to revive the Olympics was confirmed and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was born.

Pages from the manuscript have never been put on public display before.

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“Today we are witnessing history,” said IOC President Thomas Bach.

“At one level, we are witness to this historic document, the manuscript of the speech that laid out the philosophical foundations of the Olympic Movement. 

“On another level, we are witnessing a historic moment, with this manuscript returning to its Olympic home, the place where it belongs.”

Bach won an Olympic gold medal in Usmanov’s sport of fencing at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

He told the Russian: “This donation today goes well beyond the handing over of a manuscript to The Olympic Museum. 

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“Your generosity is making this unique moment possible, a moment that reminds us so vividly of the mission of the Olympic Games to unite the world in peaceful competition. 

“It is thanks to your generosity that we can reflect on our history today and celebrate this direct link to our founding father.”

The manuscript is written on the back of blank registration forms for the 1889 International Congress on Physical Education, which Coubertin co-organised.

It is written in French, using sepia ink.

“I hope that you will help me as you have helped me thus far and that, with you, I shall be able to continue and realise, on a basis appropriate to the conditions of modern life, this grandiose and beneficent work,” Coubertin writes.

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“The re-establishment of the Olympic Games.”

Certain pages will be displayed first at the Muesum, which are said to include “intriguing revisions”.

The full document will go on permanent display at a later date.

“This manuscript is the manifesto for the modern Olympic Games,” said Usmanov. 

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Pierre de Coubertin’s famous documents

“Pierre de Coubertin had a vision of a world united by athletic pursuits and not divided by confrontations and wars. 

“I believe that the Olympic Museum is the most appropriate place to keep this priceless manuscript.”

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The document went missing between the two World Wars.

Frenchman Marquis d’Amat searched for it in the 1990s and eventually located it from a collector in Switzerland. 

A 12-minute bidding war took place in New York before Usmanov came out on top.

The previous record for sports memorabilia was a New York Yankees baseball jersey worn by Babe Ruth, which went for $5.4 million (£4.1 million/€4.8 million) last year.

-insidethegames

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Ahead of Nigeria-Libya match: Some kidnapped journalists regain freedom

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An unspecified number of Nigerian journalists travelling to Uyo for Friday’s Nigeria versus Libya’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match have been rescued.

This is contained in a press release by the Sports Writers’ Association of Nigeria (SWAN) on Thursday. The association commended the Nigerian security forces for their efforts in the rescue operation.
From the press release, it was gathered that the media men were abducted within the  Anambra and Imo states axis.

”SWAN therefore commends the security operatives, particularly the Nigerian Army and Police for their prompt action which ensured that up to six of the held Sports Journalists regained their freedom with efforts to get the remaining person freed”, reads the SWAN statement.

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Klopp becomes Red Bull global soccer chief in first job after Liverpool

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Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - May 19, 2024 Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp reacts as he gives a speech after his last match as Liverpool manager REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

German coach Juergen Klopp has been appointed head of global soccer for Red Bull, owners of several clubs including RB Leipzig and New York Red Bulls, the company said on Wednesday, in his first job since leaving Liverpool earlier this year.

Klopp, who ended his successful nine-year stint with Liverpool at the end of last season, will be starting on January 1, 2025.

“After almost 25 years on the sideline, I could not be more excited to get involved in a project like this,” Klopp, who also coached Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund, said in a statement.

“The role may have changed but my passion for football and the people who make the game what it is has not.”

The 57-year-old joined Liverpool in October 2015 and won the Champions League, their first English League title since 1990, the Club World Cup, FA Cup, League Cup and Super Cup, as well as the Community Shield during his time in charge.

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Klopp, who also led Dortmund to two Bundesliga titles, a German Cup and a Champions League final in 2013, had announced in January he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.

Klopp will not be involved in the day-to-day operations of the Red Bull-owned clubs in Germany, United States, Brazil and Austria, the company said.

“He will provide strategic vision, supporting individual sporting directors in advancing the Red Bull philosophy,” Red Bull said.

Klopp will also support the organisation’s global scouting operation, and contribute to the training and development of coaches.

“I see my role primarily as a mentor for the coaches and management of the Red Bull clubs but ultimately I am one part of an organisation that is unique, innovative and forward looking. As I said, this could not excite me more,” Klopp said.

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Some German media reported his Red Bull contract included an exit clause for the post of Germany national team coach.

Klopp has long been linked to that job, especially after his successful stint at Liverpool and with Germany struggling to make an impact on the international stage in the past decade.

-Reuters

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Cape Verdean, Delgado Rocha, to take charge of Libya, Nigeria battle in Benina

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Referee Delgado Santos Rocha Lenine of Cape Verde

The Confederation of African Football has appointed Delgado Santos Rocha Lenine, from Cape Verde, as referee for Tuesday’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between the Super Eagles and the Mediterranean Knights of Libya at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium in Benina, close to Benghazi.

He will be assisted by compatriots Djêry Gomes Lopes (assistant referee 1) and Jorge Santos Fonseca Aritson (assistant referee 2), with Hamidou Diero from Burkina Faso as fourth official.

Amir Abdi Hassan from Somalia will be in the role of commissioner, with Malian Dramane Dante as referee assessor and Rachid Medjiba from Algeria as security officer.

Tuesday’s encounter, which is at the back-end of a double header between both nations, will kick off at 9pm Libya time (8pm Nigeria time).  

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