OLYMPIAN.ORG is the official social website and mail service of the OLYMPIANS and the most exclusive and oldest club in the world. Our membership traces back to 776 BC when the Ancient Olympics were first held in ancient Greece staged on the ancient plains of Olympia and then on to the Modern Olympic Games staged in 1896 at the Panathenaic stadium in Athens. by the founder of the International Olympic Committee and father of the modern Olympic Games: Pierre de Fredy - Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
“Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of a good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles” - Coubertin
To be eligible for participation in the Olympic Games; an athlete must comply with the Olympic Charter as well as with the rules of the International Sports Federation as approved by the International Olympic Commitee. The Olympian must be entered by his/her National Olympic Committee. To be named "Olympian" you must have participated in the Olympic Games. Only Olympians can be members of OLYMPIAN.ORG
The origins of this communications network dates back to the mid 1990s when a profound need to communicate and “staying in touch” after the Games was expressed by Olympians around the world. Over a decade ago, the official OLYMPIAN.ORG mail service was launched and strongly endorsed by the entire global Olympians community.
IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch created the World Olympians Association following the Centennial Olympic Congress. The Congress of Unity held in Paris in 1994 was a means to unite Olympians from around the world regardless of their age, sport, nationality or other definitive measure and to involve them in the promotion of the values and virtues that make up the Olympic Movement.
Understandably a means to communicate these ideals could not be far behind and this quest was subsequently undertaken by athlete, Olympian Delegate and technologist Nick VandenBrekel of the Netherlands. Mr. Vandenbrekel created the original OLYMPIAN.ORG as a basic manner by which Olympians could communicate via what was then considered a very novel new technology: Electronic Mail. Additional methods of communication such as the electronic Olympian newsletter “Olympian Insight” further enhanced the ability for Olympians to stay in touch and “in the know” about what was happening within their community.
In the years that followed, and as the phenomenons of social networking and Tweeting became commonplace, OLYMPIAN.ORG became more robust and today is the world’s largest Olympian mail, communication and social network service with thousands of Olympians from around the world utilizing the service. On average the network receives 25,000 “hits” per day; a number which is expected to grow as more and more Olympians become members of this exclusive club.
While the World Olympians Association has its own website at www.woaolympians.com, where it conveys information pertinent to the membership of National Olympians Associations worldwide with the purpose of uniting nearly 120,000 Olympians around the world and involve them in the activities of the Olympic Movement, OLYMPIAN.ORG focuses entirely on the social communications between and for Olympians.
The network incorporates two distincts aspects to serve both the Olympians as well as fans of Olympians around the world. The “front end” which is displayed as the main website of OLYMPIAN.ORG utilizes the latest web technology to inform visitors about activities of Olympians including but not limited to Top Olympian Moments, Olympian News, Events, Up-and-coming Olympians and Exchange. New features include shining a spotlight on a Olympic sport of the Month and Olympian of the Week as well as a brand new Olympians Video Corner which will display videos of Olympians discussing the importance of what it means to be an Olympian.
There is a link to the official Olympian Twitter page and each week the site selects popular music which is played when you visit OLYMPIAN.ORG. One will quickly notice the Olympic colors proudly displayed in the bars of the music playback.
OLYMPIANS only represent the “back-end” of the network. The site provides a direct portal to the Olympians communication service, including a state-of-the-art social network where Olympians can post blogs, upload photos, videos, post events, calendars, music and anything else they may want to share privately or publicly.
The network contains a search engine where anybody can search for their favorite Olympian’s individual profile. There are many more features available at the fingertips of Olympians and it is the ultimate way for them to “stay in touch” and communicate with each other and the world.
All Olympians subscribe to the fundamental principles of Olympism as a philosophy of life; exalting and combining in a balanced whole, the qualities of body, mind and spirit. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.
To communicate these principles we need a unified system that connects all Olympians around the planet and that is what OLYMPIAN.ORG seeks to accomplish as its mandate.
We welcome all Olympians to "The Oldest And Most Exclusive Club in the World."