What Olympic founder Pierre de Coubertin would have thought of snowboarding and slopestyle we'll never know, but he would certainly have approved of the spirit in which Sochi 2014 is being conducted.

He might have been less enthusiastic that some facets of Olympism appear to have gone missing here. The marketing men may have been enthusing about the look of the Games, mascots and nightly firework displays, but they seem to have forgotten some of the basics.

"Hot Cool Yours" is the slogan of these Games and can be seen on every bright "Sochi Blue" billboard.

The Olympic motto is "Citius Altius Fortius" in Latin or Faster Higher Stronger, but you wouldn't know it if you walked round the venues here. Those three words are nowhere to be found. Coubertin was inspired to use it by the friar Father Didon. He considered it an important part of the fabric of the Games. In the words of the Olympic Charter "It expresses the aspirations of the Olympic Movement." As such, it deserves prominent display.

Hot. Cool. Yours. is the slogan of these Sochi, but where is the nod to the Olympic motto Citius Altius Fortius? ©AFP/Getty Images


The Olympic creed, introduced after the 1908 Games in London, is also noticeable by its absence from the stadia here. The words were inspired by a sermon given by an American churchman Bishop Ethelbert Talbot at St Paul's Cathedral. Talbot stressed the importance of "putting the game above the prize". Coubertin sat in the pews and listened with interest.

Afterwards he devised his famous words "The Important thing in the Olympic Games is not so much the winning but the taking part, just as the important thing in life is not to have struggled but to have fought well."

That little phrase "not so much" is important. Coubertin did not wish to imply that striving for victory was not important , simply that victory was not the only thing that mattered.

Although often misquoted, as at the 1948 London Olympics, it used to be displayed on the scoreboard in the Olympic stadium, though more rarely in recent years. It would be a timely reminder of the Olympic values if these words were to be restored to permanent display.

Pierre de Coubertin, whose statue stands at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, might not have been so enthusiastic that some facets of Olympism seem to have gone missing in Sochi ©AFP/Getty Images



One battle even Coubertin might have lost is the precedence of French in "Olympic speak." As in Vancouver, there have been complaints from the Francophone community about the lack of prominence given to the language. The IOC have stressed that French remains the official language of protocol . Announcements are always made in both French and English and IOC President Thomas Bach delivered some of his opening speech in French. For all that, English has effectively become the operational language of the IOC.

At least the Olympic flame is visible to all. In London , it could only be seen inside the Stadium. It was an unfortunate decision which denied a special memory for those who visited the Olympic Park but had no access to the Stadium itself.

In years gone by the Olympic Charter stipulated that the cauldron "must be in a prominent position in the stadium and clearly visible, where the structure permits, also from outside".

Such a requirement is no longer included, but Sochi have not stinted in their efforts to make the cauldron one of the most striking features of the park. A pleasing innovation has been the fountain show, the music of the Festive Overture by Shostakovich, Khachaturian's adagio from Spartacus and Tchaicovsky's Piano Concerto form an accompaniment to a spectacular display of fire and water each day.

Unlike at the London Olympics, Sochi's cauldron is there for all to see in the Olympic Park ©AFP/Getty Images


There has been a wonderful spirit of friendship, what Jesse Owens once called "breaking bread with the world" or to use the IOC's own words "Celebrate Humanity". It is evident in the Olympic Park, in the venues and on the field of play. Canada's coach Justin Wadsworth showed his sporting class by offering assistance to Russian skier Anton Gafarov after the latter had a broken ski.

IOC President Thomas Bach has promised a major overhaul of the Olympic Charter this year. He has invited all to contribute to the process and has called his Agenda 2020 programme a "roadmap for future Games". The challenge will be to modernise and evolve without losing the magnificent heritage which makes the Olympic Games unique.