ALS in French, two pages, 8.25 x 10.5, June 5, 1934. Handwritten letter to "Mr. Mayor," ostensibly the mayor of the ancient Arcadian village Tegea, in part (translated): “With great emotion and the most genuine feeling of gratitude I learned of the details of the Ceremony that recently took place in Olympia, and wish, even if belatedly, to kindly ask you to be my interpreter in front of all those who took part in this ceremony. I want to personally thank you for your contribution to this. Nothing could touch me most than the participation of the School pupils, under the guidance of their masters, and the tribute paid by these lovely children who represent the new Greece, which inherited a glorious past, and all this comforts me for not being able to attend this official ceremony. It is my pleasure to send you…in a short while, something to remind you of that day, and until then, dear Mr. Mayor, please accept the assurance of my deepest respect.” Under the date at the top, Coubertin has added in parentheses: “To the III of the X Olympiad.” In fine condition, with adhesive remnants to reverse left corners of first page.
On May 22, 1934, on the eve of their final session, held at Olympia, International Olympic Committee members were entertained by the mayor of Tegea, an ancient village in the Peloponnese and home to the Alea Athena. It was during this 32nd session, which included an Athens meeting on May 18th and a banquet in Olympia on May 23rd, that the IOC gave its approval to the idea of a first official torch relay for the 1936 Berlin Olympiad, following on from the reintroduction of the Olympic Flame at the 1928 Games. So excited were the local Tegea authorities about being involved in this innovative project, that they unveiled a plaque, which read: ‘Tegea with its ancient monuments inspired to the members of the International Olympic Committee while they were meeting under the shadow of these ageless plane trees, the idea to organize a torch procession for the transfer of the Appolonean light from Olympia to Berlin which was realized with great success.’ While scholars continue to dispute who originally conceived of the first torch relay—some say Berlin Games organizer Carl Diem, others say Greek archaeologist Alexander Philadelpheus—the consensus remains that the first Olympic torch relay was ratified during these early IOC / Greek meetings in May of 1934.
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