F E S T I V E D A Y S I N L E I P Z I G
MANIFESTATION OF VITALITY AND FRIENDSHIP AMONG THE PEOPLES
I n i t s i s s u e N o s . 23/24 the Newsletter already men-tioned in brief the Vth German Gymnastics and Sports Festival of the German Democratic Republic which took p l a c e i n L e i p z i g f r o m J u l y 2 4 t h t i l l J u l y 2 7 t h a s t h i s y e a r ' s c l i m a x o f G . D . R . s p o r t s .
W e a r e c o n v i n c e d t h a t t h i s g r e a t f e s t i v a l i n L e i p z i g has made an essential contribution towards the further spreading of the Olympic ideal in our country. The magnif i c e n t s p o r t s s h o w w i t h 2 7 , 0 0 0 y o u n g g i r l s a n d b o y s o magnif magnif e r -i n g t o p c l a s s s p o r t s p e r f o r m a n c e s -i n p e r f e c t h a r m o n y o f movement, music and colours, t o a m u s i c s e t b y t h e b e s t composers of our country, was certainly an unforgettable e x p e r i e n c e .
However, t h e b a s i c i d e a o f t h i s f e s t i v a l e x c e e d e d b y f a r t h e i m p r e s s i o n o f such an inspiring show. The f u n -damental idea of the Vth German Gymnastics and Sports F e s t i v a l o f t h e G . D . R . w a s t o i n t e r e s t t h e w h o l e p o p u l a -t i o n i n a c -t i v e p a r -t i c i p a -t i o n i n s p o r -t s . The Chairman of t h e C o u n c i l o f S t a t e of the German Democratic Republic, Walter ULBRIGHT, in his greeting message, formulated this o b j e c t a s f o l l o w s : "Our Vth German Gymnastics and Sports
F e s t i v a l s e r v e s t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f m a n a n d h i s s o c i a l i s t community. V i t a l i t y , j o y o f l i v i n g , sense of duty and humanistic mind are contents o f t h e n e w w a y o f l i v i n g i n our German Democratic Republic. T h e f e s t i v e d a y s o f s p o r t s m a n i f e s t c u r j o i n t p e r s e v e r i n g e f f o r t s t o w a r d s p e a c e a n d friendship among the peoples, m a n i f e s t t h e j o y o f l i v i n g o f o u r y o u t h a n d o f o u r s o c i a l a c t i v i t y f o r h e a l t h , e d u -c a t i o n a n d -c r e a t i v e p o w e r o f t h e p e o p l e . : '
I s t h i s n o t t h e r e a l i z a t i o n o f t h e f u n d a m e n t a l i d e a of Baron de Coubertin who understood sports not as a m a t t e r o f l u x u r y , b u t d e m a n d e d t h a t s o c i e t y o u g h t t o g i v e e v e r y b o d y a n e q u a l o p p o r t u n i t y o f a c t i v e l y t a k i n g p a r t i n s p o r t s - f r e e o f c h a r g e , i f p o s s i b l e t o k e e p h i m -s e l f a n d h e r -s e l f m e n t a l l y a n d p h y -s i c a l l y f i t ?
I n s p i r e d b y t h s s p o r t s s h o w , t h o u s a n d s o f c i t i z e n s went to the newly opened "Centre of Recreation and Sound Way of Living", t o o k p a r t i n t h e "Run for Better Health movement" or hived into the refreshing water of seven n e w l y - b u i l t " P e o p l e ' s I n d o o r P o o l s " ; a l l t h e p o p u l a t i o n o f L e i p z i g w e n t i n f o r s p o r t s , f o l l o w i n g t h e m o t t o " M a c h m i t , b l e i b f i t " ( T a k e p a r t , k e e p f i t ) .
W e w e r e v e r y g l a d t h a t t h e P r e s i d e n t o f t h e I . O . C . Mr. Avery BRUNDACE, who had accepted our invitation to L e i p z i g t o g e t h e r w i t h m a n y o t h e r l e a d i n g r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f t h e w o r l d s p o r t s m o v e m e n t , r e a l i z e d t h i s o u r b a s i c a i m a n d e x p r e s s e d h i s a p p r e c i a t i o n d u r i n g a r e c e p t i o n o f f e r e d b y t h e C h a i r m a n o f t h e C o u n c i l o f M i n i s t e r s o f t h e G . D . R . , Mr. Willi STOPH, w i t h t h e f o l l o w i n g w o r d s : " T h e m o s t important thing is the national programme of physical t r a i n i n g a n d c o m p e t i t i v e s p o r t s w h i c h d e v e l o p s s t r o n g e r b o y s a n d g i r l s a n d m a k e s b e t t e r c i t i z e n s w h o l e a r n t o u n d e r s t a n d b e t t e r t h e h i g h p r i n c i p l e s o f t h e O l y m p i c Movement. And these things seem to be very well under-s t o o d h e r e i n t h e G . D . R . "
Numerous other members of the I.O.C. subscribed to t h a t o p i n i o n , as for instance Mr. Reng RAXOTOBE
(Madagascar) who said: " T h e f i n e s p o r t s f e s t i v a l i n L e i p z i g h a s p r o v e d c o n v i n c i n g l y t h a t t h e G . D . R . s t a n d s f o r t h e O l y m p i c i d e a s i n a h u m a n i s t i c s p i r i t . " Or Mr. Hadj Mohammed BENJELLOUN (Morocco): " I t d o e s y o u r s p o r t s o f f i
-saying is quite true that a sound mind can only dwell in a sound body." I.O.C. member James WORRALL (Canada) put t h e q u e s t i o n : "How did you ever manage to prepare so many young sportsmen and women for these displays ? Now I know t h e b a s i s f r o m w h i c h t h e a t h l e t e s s p r i n g t h a t t h e G . D . R . k e e p s s e n d i n g t o t h e i m p o r t a n t s p o r t s e v e n t s . "
To answer this question, I s h a l l q u o t e t h e P r e s i d e n t of the German Gymnastics and Sports Union, Mr. Manfred EWALD, who with pride directed the attention of his audi-t o r i u m audi-t o audi-t h e f a c audi-t audi-t h a audi-t i n audi-t h e s h o r audi-t p e r i o d o f m e r e l y 2 0 years of existence of the German Democratic Republic the number of those who took part in sports rose from 200,000 in
1949 to a total of 2 million members of the German Gym-nastics and Sports Union in 1969. "When in the year of 1949 the peace-loving peoples confidently welcomed the f o u n d a t i o n o f t h e G . D . R . , we took upon us the obligation t o p a r t i c i p a t e , o n t h e c o n d i t i o n o f a b s o l u t e e q u a l i t y o f r i g h t s a n d s o v e r e i g n t y , i n t h e p e a c e f u l a n d n a t i o n l i n k -ing promotion of sports throughout the world and to make o u r c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e f u r t h e r d e v e l o p m e n t o f i n t e r n a t i o n -a l s p o r t s . Tod-ay, 2 0 y e -a r s s i n c e t h e n , w e h -a v e f r i e n d l y r e l a t i o n s w i t h s p o r t s o r g a n i z a t i o n s o f m o r e t h a n 1 0 0 c o u n t r i e s . Thus, we have undergone an exemplary develop-ment, i n t h e i n t e r e s t o f p e a c e a n d f r i e n d s h i p a m o n g s t nations, i n t h e i n t e r e s t o f h e a l t h a n d e d u c a t i o n o f t h e p e o p l e a n d f o r t h e b e n e f i t o f t h e w o r k i n g p e o p l e a n d y o u n -g e r -g e n e r a t i o n . T h i s i s b e i n g r e c o g n i z e d a n d a p p r e c i a t e d f a r b e y o n d t h e b o u n d a r i e s o f o u r s t a t e . " N a t i o n a l e d u c a t i o n a n d s p o r t s t h e s e a r e t h e c a t c h -words for me to mention the remarkable exhibition "Arts and Sports". A r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s e l e c t i o n o f p a i n t i n g s a n d works of the plastic and graphic arts demonstrated, how w e l l k n o w n a r t i s t s o f t h e G . D . R . h a d d e a l t w i t h t h e s u b -j e c t o f s p o r t s a n d h o w i n t e r e s t e d t h o u s a n d s o f s p o r t s m e n and women who visited the exhibition gave their opinion and valued these works which were prove of the artists' sincere sympathy in sports.
D u r i n g t h e f e s t i v a l d a y s , an unusual hot sun was shini n g f r o m a c l o u d l e s s b l u e s k y , shini n d e e d r e q u shini r shini n g t h e p h y -s i c a l c o n d i t i o n o f a n O l y m p i c a t h l e t e .
We also consider it a great honour that the members o f t h e I . O . C . p r e s e n t i n L e i p z i g , t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e r e p r e -sentatives of many National Olympic Committees had accept-ed the invitation of the National Olympic Committee of the G.D.R. to spend among friends a few pleasant hours in the world-famous "Auerbachs Keller", where the conversations were mostly about our common Olympic Movement. "Auerbachs K e l l e r " i s a n o l d h i s t o r i c a l wine restaurant which became generally known through Johann WOLFGANG von GOETH's drama
"Faust ", a n d I h a v e g o t t h e i m p r e s s i o n t h a t i t w a s t h i s atmosphere of humanism and open-mindedness to the world of the great Olympian which united us there.
I d o h o p e t h a t f o r o u r h i g h l y e s t e e m e d g u e s t s t h e experience of the Vth German Gymnastics and Sports Festival will be remembered for a long time to come.
Dr. Heinz SCHOBEL M e m b e r o f t h e I . O . C . f o r t h e G . D . R . P r e s i d e n t o f t h e N . O . C . o f t h e G . D . R .
