All language subtitles for Butterfly.Effect.S02E11_English

- [Male Narrator] Olympia, 2028.

Tanzanian Frank Edward Akhwari

receives the laurel wreath,

symbol of his victory
in the marathon.

On the eve of the
closing ceremony,

he is the final
athlete to receive

the ultimate reward at
the very first edition

of the modern Olympic Games.

After 1600 years of oblivion,

the European Sports
Association is trying

to put the Olympic
Games back at the center

of the international stage.

Symbolically held at the
Sanctuary of Olympia,

these first games struggled
to attract 500 athletes

from 20 different countries.

In a world dominated by
highly monetized sport,

the games extol
ancient sporting values

and the absence of
financial stakes.

But none of this ever happened.

On June 23, 1894,
one man will succeed

in relaunching
the Olympic spirit

and turn the games
into a global event.

Our history is no more than a
series of incredible events.

Every one of us can
influence its course.

(dramatic music)

(electric guitar music)

(speaking in foreign language)

(dramatic music)

The most infinitesimal
of our decisions

can influence the
future of humanity.

To know the past is
to foresee the future.

In 392 of our era,

the Christian Roman
Emperor Theodosius I

declares a ban on pagan events.

November 25, 1892,

Baron Pierre de Coubertin

announces the idea
of reestablishing
the Olympic Games.

April 6, 1896, in Athens,

the first edition of
the modern Olympic Games

is officially opened.

These three intimately
connected events

are the key moments in the
history of the Olympic Games.

(clapping)

Olympia,

Ancient Greece,

152 BC.

Leonidas, champion of Rhodes,

is on the start line.

(dramatic music)

Early in the day he already
won two other races.

The heat of the sun
on his naked body

intensifies his weariness.

However, his muscles are
ready for the ultimate
battle.

The one that will take him
over the finish line first.

The one that will
offer him victory.

The one that will raise
him to the level of legend.

(dramatic music)

In the fifth century BC,

the Greek world is a
brilliant civilization.

However, each Greek
city is independent.

Athens,

Sparta,

Corinth,

or Thebes may well all
be Greek in culture

and language,

but they are also rivals.

These enemies waged
terrible fratricidal wars.

Only two things appear to rise
above this ancestral rivalry.

The struggle against
the common enemy,

Persia.

And the staging of major
sports competitions

like the Olympiads.

The ancient Olympic Games.

The oldest written evidence
proving the existence

of the ancient games in Greece

dates back to 776 BC,

almost 2,800 years ago.

They say that Hercules himself,

son of Zeus,

built the first
stadium at Olympia,

the sacred sanctuary
of the Greeks.

Since then,

every four years,

a truce requires every
city to grant a pass.

Athletes and spectators
may then travel freely

to the sanctuary.

Both a sports gathering
and a pilgrimage,

the Greek Olympics were
much more than mere games.

For the Greeks,

the athletes reflect the ideal

of a harmonious balance
between mind and body.

Uniquely open to men
and strictly forbidden
to non-Greeks,

the events pit the champions

of each city against each other.

Races on foot.

Or carrying weapons,

javelin and discus throwing,

wrestling,

boxing,

chariot racing.

The victors received the
crown of olive leaves

and are vetted as heroes.

Statues are erected
in their memory.

Coins struck in their likeness.

Poems written to their glory.

The ancient games
are so important

that the Greek calendar
is not divided into years,

but into Olympiads,

representing a
period of four years.

However, in the second
century before our era,

a new participant
enters the games.

The Roman Republic.

Like the Greeks,

the Romans love the games.

Greece, conquered by
the legions is annexed.

The Greek Olympiads
are thus added

to the long list of
Roman competitions.

In 27 BC, the Republic
becomes an empire.

The games turn into a spectacle.

In the Coliseum,
gladiators fight each other

to the cheers of
70,000 spectators.

While at the Circus Maximus,

horse drawn chariots
compete in ferocious races.

The whole Roman engineering
genius is put into service

of entertainment.

Huge awnings protect the
spectators from the sun.

Amphitheaters are flooded
to stage real naval battles.

Exotic forest settings
are reconstructed

to present fights between
wild beasts and men.

In the fourth
century of our era,

the Greek Olympics still
exist on the fringe

of the 175 days
devoted to the games.

Now, Christianity has
slowly imposed itself

as the empire's unique religion.

Pagan worship is marginalized.

The games are considered
to be barbaric practices.

Particular targets,

gladiatorial contests.

In 392, Roman Emperor Theodosius

declares the definitive
banning of pagan worship.

The following year,

the Olympiads are
banned in turn.

After more than
a thousand years,

the Olympia site is abandoned
and falls into oblivion.

- [Female Narrator] Welcome
to the memory of humanity.

Here we can col time,

analyze and compare
billions of events

and alter them to rewrite
history endlessly.

All the events in our history

however minute they might be

are memorized and
interconnected.

It only requires one to be
changed for all the others

to be shaken to the core.

Amateur or professional?

In Ancient Greece,

athletes were not paid.

They competed for the
fame and for their city.

However, the champions became
important personalities

in their native city
and received all
sorts of advantages.

An ancient form of sponsorship.

From the fifth century BC,

certain athletes lured by gain

decide to represent a city
other than their native one.

These shifts of allegiance
were considered to be treason.

Statues of fallen champions
were even destroyed

tose their memory.

The boundary between amateur
and professional athlete

was already difficult
to determine.

- [Male Narrator] Olympia
archeological site

mid 19th century.

Concealed beneath
1,400 years of dust,

the ancient sanctuary
is about to resurface.

The western world has been
passionate about its past.

And the taste for antiquities
spreads across Europe.

But even though the sanctuary
is emerging from oblivion,

the Olympiads are still dead.

However, in Europe,

the Olympic age is
incontestably in the air.

Several initiatives
try to relaunch

this great ancient event,

but none comes to fruition.

And then a visionary
personality enters the stage,

Baron Pierre de Coubertin.

A cultivated young socialite,

the Baron devotes much
of his time to sport.

Riding,

rowing,

fencing,

boxing,

pistol shooting.

It's while traveling in
England that Coubertin

has a revelation.

While observing students
at English universities,

he realizes there's a
connection between the practice

of sport and the character
building of the individual.

It's a new way of
looking at education.

Sport develops
independence in the young.

Forges their characters.

Team sports teach
leading together

and becoming good citizens.

Returning to France
with this conviction,

he determines to devote
his life to spreading it.

And he has a long road
ahead because at that time,

it was common to say that
sport produces idiots,

cardiac cases,

cripples,

and oafs.

However, Pierre de Coubertin's
vision goes still further.

He defends sport.

But also its free access.

For him, sport must
be international.

Sports leagues all over the
world should join together.

On November 25,
1892, on the occasion

of the fifth
anniversary of the union

of French athletic
sports societies,

he sets out for the first time

his idea of restoring
the Olympic Games.

Two years later,

on June 23, 1894,

his vision becomes reality.

At the Sorbonne
University in Paris,

the conference for the
restoring of the Olympic Games

decides to work
towards the renaissance

of the ancient competition.

The International Olympic
Committee, or IOC,

is founded with Demetrius
Vikelas at its head.

A Greek, a symbol in itself.

And so on April 6, 1896,

in Athens,

in front of more than
60,000 spectators,

the first Olympiad of
the modern Olympic Games

bringing together 241 sportsman

from 14 different countries
is officially open.

- [Female Narrator] We have
just reached a turning point.

A turning point is a key event.

A crossroads in our history
whether the world swings one
way

or the other.

Through his determination,

Baron Pierre de Coubertin
manages to resurrect

the Olympic ideal of
the Greek Olympiads

through a new
sports competition,

the modern Olympic Games.

His energy and his passion
overcame the difficulties

and today the games are
a major global event.

If the Baron had not ced
through this project,

we could easily imagine
that the idea would have

remained within
sporting circles.

It was already
alive at the period,

notably in the United Kingdom.

It might have been
necessary to wait

for the 21st century
for fresh attempt

to see Olympiads renewal.

Driven by sports enthusiasts

nostalgic for the
ideals of antiquity.

The first editions would
have been very modest.

On the fringe of major
global sports events.

But, perhaps closer to
the ancient Olympiads.

- [Male Narrator] Faster.

Higher.

Stronger.

For Pierre de Coubertin this
formula perfectly expresses

the spirit of the modern games.

Surpassing oneself.

The Olympic Games become a
formidable human adventure.

Going far beyond a simple
sports competition,

they embody a powerful
symbol of universality.

Each games must take
place in a different city,

in a different country.

As the Olympiads unfold,

a whole ceremonial
ritual is established.

The athletes coming
from all over the world

are united under the same flag.

Designed by the Baron himself,

the symbol of the linked rings

connected one to another

represents the five continents.

After World War I which
tore Europe apart,

it waves for the first time
over the Antwerp Games.

An oath is also introduced.

In the name of all
the competitors,

an athlete vows to
respect the Olympic ideas.

In the name of all competitors,

I promise that we shall take
part in these Olympic games

respecting and abiding by
the rules that govern them.

In the true spirit
of sportsmanship.

For the glory of sport and
the honor of our teams.

At the Stockholm Games in 1912,

women finally officially
obtained the right to take
part.

In 1924, the IOC
organizes what will become

the first Winter
Olympics in Chamonix.

Very quickly, medals replaced
the ancient wreathes.

The winner receives
a gold medal,

second a silver,

and third a bronze.

Starting with the Lake
Placid Games in 1932,

the medals are
presented on a podium

with the winner in the center.

At the Berlin games of 1936,

an ancient ritual is adapted.

Henceforth, a flame lit on
the very site of Olympia

is carried by relay to
the organizing city.

The final carrier has
the honor of lighting

the huge bowl that
is not extinguished

until the end of
the competition.

Gradually all the competitor ar

in an Olympic Village.

They even create
Paralympic Games to enable

those with a handicap
to take part.

All this universal symbolism
makes the Olympic Games

this very special event.

So different from any other.

- [Female Narrator]
From the olive wreath

to the gold medal,

in antiquity,

Greek athlete's main reward
was a wreath of leaves.

In our day, we reward Olympic
champions with a medal.

In 2016, at the Rio
Olympics in Brazil,

2,488 medals were struck,

of which 812 were gold.

Each medal weighed 500 grams.

Of which 30% was
recycled material.

The gold medals are actually
made of six grams of gold.

The rest is silver,

which gives them a value of
around $600 U.S. dollars.

In addition to these medals,

athletes also receive bonuses

from their respective countries.

For example,

each French gold
medal winner in Rio

received 50,000 Euros.

The Pierre de Coubertin medal,

also known as the
sportsmanship medal however

is very special.

It is awarded to athletes
who have demonstrated

a true spirit of sportsmanship.

For example,

it was awarded to the
German athlete Luz Long

during the Berlin Olympic Games

in the heart of Nazi Germany.

He helped and advised
a black competitor

allowing him to gain the
top step of the podium.

According to the
Olympic Committee,

it is one of the noblest
honors an athlete can receive.

Since 1936,

it has only been
awarded 22 times.

- [Male Narrator]
August 1, 1936,

swastikas mingle with
the Olympic rings.

In front of 100,000 spectators,

the Fuhrer declares the 11th
modern Olympic Games open.

At the end of the games,

the Third Reich is staggering
under the weight of medals.

Far ahead of the United States,

it wins 89 medals,

of which 33 are gold.

Televised on closed circuit
TV for the first time,

the games are,

for the Nazi regime,

an excellent means of
showing the entire world

the power of the Germanic race.

The only shadow,

although champions in
the trials of strength

such as shot put

or weightlifting,

in athletics the
Germans cannot keep pace

with the Afro-Americans.

In Berlin,

in a stadium covered
in swastikas,

and in the shadow
of Nazi salutes,

before the eyes of the Fuhrer

and the cameras,

the black athlete
James Jesse Owens

sweeps up four gold medals.

The games seem to be moving
slowly away from the ideal

of universality to become
a new field of conflict.

Without soldiers

where the athletes,

often in spite of themselves,

become tools of
propaganda and demands.

1968, the Mexico Olympic Games,

Tommy Smith and John Carlos,

two black American sprinters
step onto the podium

to receive their medals.

Suddenly, they drop their
heads and raise their fists

clad in black leather gloves.

To the eyes of the world,

the athletes denounced
the oppression

of black Americans.

1972, at dawn on September 5th,

eight Palestinian terrorists
take Israeli athletes hostage

to protest the
occupation of Palestine.

The rescue attempt
ends in a bloodbath.

And all the hostages
are murdered.

During the Cold War,

the Olympic Games become
an ideological battleground

between the eastern
and western blocks.

The Americans boycott
the Moscow Games.

The Soviets those
of Los Angeles.

The Olympic Games turn

into a political and
publicity showcase.

Boosted by media coverage,

the event that was conceived

as a source of inspiration
becomes a mirror to society.

- [Female Moderator]
2,800 years ago

the names of the
winners were proclaimed

after each competition.

For the greatest champions,

a statue might be erected.

The athlete wrote
his name in history.

In 1924, the Paris games are
covered by 1,000 reporters.

In 1936, in Berlin,

the games are broadcast on
screen for the first time.

In 1960, Rome was able

to transmit events
live throughout Europe.

Cassettes are loaded
onto planes each evening

and cross the Atlantic
for the United States.

The Los Angeles Games of
1984 mark a turning point.

For the first time the
event is entirely financed

by the private
sector and sponsors.

Today, 20,000 reporters
are accredited

compared to 10,000 athletes.

Television broadcasting
rights have risen

from just over one
million dollars in 1960

to nearly two billion in 2012.

Sport and the modern
media are closely related.

Press,

radio,

cinema,

then television.

And today,

the internet.

The Beijing Games were
followed by nearly

five billion television viewers.

A goldmine for
adising rights.

- [Male Narrator] One of the
heroes of the Olympic Games,

Amil Zatopec once said,

a runner must run with
dreams in his heart

and not money in his pocket.

Right from start
Pierre de Coubertin

introduced a rule.

The games must remain amateur.

Money must not tarnish
the Olympic ideal.

However, in 1973, the IOC
agrees to review amateurism.

In the 1980s, the
word is stricken from
the Olympic charter.

From now on, money gets closer
to the heart of the games.

The games have a
monumental media impact.

The economic spinoffs
are colossal.

In 2008, the 11 sponsors
of the Beijing Games

spent 900 million
dollars for the rights

to use the Olympicnd
in their advertising.

The recent choice of cities
in emerging countries

to host the games
is clearly part

of the policy of
winning new markets.

The games have become a
global marketing tool.

Sport, a universal product,

performance and records,
an ultimate end.

Sport has become spectacle.

The important thing is
no longer to take part,

but to perform.

Although early attempts
at doping are observed

as early as 1904,

the phenomenon
explodes in the 70s.

From the Soviet block athletes

pumped up with growth hormones

to the American sprinters
shot full of steroids,

cheating becomes a state affair.

You must win.

It's a matter of national honor.

Never mind the price,

even that of the
life of the athletes.

And they even go so far
as to force athletes

to get pregnant
before the events

to increase their
physical capabilities.

Only to abort afterwards.

Today, increasingly
tight anti-doping tests

are trying to stem the tide.

But in a world where
breaking records

has become a cult,

the question is,

how far is society
prepared to go

in order to obtain
the unobtainable?

But that is another story.

- [Female Narrator] At Olympia,

the names of cheaters
were carved on the statues

leading to the stadium

to be seen by all.

In our day,

numerous records are stained
with doubts around doping.

Athletes are surrounded
by scientists.

Their performance
scrutinized on monitors.

Overspecialized,

for a time they
become super men.

Despite all this,

the games remain
a unique moment.

A moment when one
person can alone reach

the Olympic firmament using
only the strength of their
will

and their perseverance.

From Nadia Comaneci

to Carl Lewis.

From Usain Bolt

to Michael Phelps.

Athletes from all over the world

have carved their
exploits in our memories

and our hearts.

They have proved that
technology is not enough.

That money can't do everything.

That dreams and courage
were still a powerful motor

in reaching the top
step of the podium.

At the Mexico Olympics in 1968,

Tanzanian John Stephen Akhwari

was last to finish the marathon.

More than an hour
after the winner.

Battered by the ordeal,

he arrived bleeding and limping.

When asked why he
didn't abandon,

he arrived bleeding he replied,

my country did not send me
5,000 miles to start the
race.

They sent me 5,000
miles to finish it.

(dramatic music)