Claims on founding of Games accurate

LETTER - In response to Hugh S Laycock's letter of August 18, "Revisionist publicity by county Olympians", the claim that William Penny Brookes was a founding father of the modern Olympics is accurate.

This should be coupled with the claim that Pierre de Ferdi, Baron Coubertin, was the founder, i.e. the person principally responsible for organising the revival of the modern Olympics.

Penny Brookes did not create an Olympic Games in Much Wenlock. He was a Greek scholar and he deliberately called his event the Wenlock Olympian Games, Olympian being the adjective Olympic-like.

From the beginning, alongside the classic ancient Olympic sports such as running in distance, leaping in height, discuss and javelin, Penny Brookes always included other non-ancient Olympic sports such as cricket, quoits, football, tent-pegging, etc, which ordinary people were more familiar with.

Contrary to Hugh S Laycock's view that in "about 1884, some years before his first contact with Brookes, he (Coubertin) commenced working towards the institution of that goal (to create a worldwide Olympic Games)", there is no unbiased evidence which supports that view.

Rather, the evidence is weighted heavily against this. Before he met Penny Brookes in 1890, Coubertin was on a mission to make a name for himself in sporting history through his self-financed work.

This work centred on researching manly sports which would help France to build a strong nation and persuade the government to improve the sports curriculum in national schools.

All Coubertin's early writing provides the evidence to prove this. He never once mentions creating/reviving the Olympic Games. Without doubt, Coubertin was the founder of the modern Games, but it was principally Penny Brookes who inspired him.

The Wenlock Olympian Society archives are open by appointment. For details visit www.wenlock-olympian-society.org.uk

Helen Clare Cromarty, PR and Sponsorship Secretary and Historian, Wenlock Olympian Society