How is the Olympic internationalism possible? The role of the doctrine of mutual respect in Olympism and Olympic education

Olympism from the very beginning was a global project and therefore had to take into account the diverse cultural background. Coubertin making international understanding and peaceful co-existence as one of the fundamental principles of the Olympic, had searched for them an axiological platform for their implementation in a globalizing world. Coubertin's idea was the doctrine of mutual respect. This product of the liberal humanism of the late nineteenth century, has form of moral imperative not referring to religious morality. The main aim of the paper is to present roots of the Olympic internationalism and point the role of doctrine of mutual respect in Olympism and Olympic Education in the phase of creating this doctrine and current Olympic education programmes realizing by the Olympic Movement. The article contains three parts (1. Presentation of Olympic sport on the background of the process of globalization; 2. Analysis Coubertin’s doctrine of mutual respect as a fundamental principle of international understanding; 3. Presentation of the process of transition from Olympic cultural imperialism to intercultural education).