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Distinction and participation
"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part".
This is probably the most famous motto as regards the modern Olympic Games. Those words, which had been adopted by Pierre de Coubertin, since they expressed the values, ideas and standards of the pioneers of the Olympic movement in modern times, were heard during the Games of 1908 by the Archbishop of Pennsylvania. Indeed, the London Games had been an important sports event, both at organization level (programme of the Games, installations, participation) and at performance level. In the organization of 1908 the Olympic Games were beginning tï assume the prestige of a major sports event, a development that was reflected on the intense competition among athletes. The increasing significance of distinction and victory in those Games was directly associated with the importance of participating in them. In other words, at the London Games it became obvious how important victory was for the athletes, precisely because their participation came to have different significance; it was the most important of any other participation in national and international sports games.
In addition, in the Olympic Games of London it was the first time that victory did not only involve each athlete separately; it also involved the national teams, which were constituted in view of those Games. As a result, the victory and distinction of an athlete reflected on his team as well. What is more, the overall presence of each national team rendered the competition in the Games of 1908 more complex and hence more intense. The 22 national sports delegations that paraded for the first time at the opening ceremony of the Games created a different framework, which would characterize the Games ever since. The "rivalry of the nations", which was becoming all the more intense at the dawn of the twentieth century, either peacefully (e.g. economy, world's fairs) or violently (war), found in the Olympic Games a new field of expression and imparted them the recognition and prestige that they needed in order to be established as the major sports event.
In the light of the above we can understand the attitude of Martin Sheridan, the carrier of the flag of the USA team, at the opening ceremony of the Games. At the parade of the teams, Sheridan refused to pay honours to the king of Great Britain by lowering the flag, as had done the other national delegations. Later, in explanation of his attitude, he stated: "This flag dips to no earthly king". That incident had escalated the rivalry between the British and the American athletes for distinction in the Games and for more medals, a rivalry that had been expressed in several cases by the partiality of the British judges and the infringement of the (still vague) rules of the events.
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