Mike Rowbottom: Standing on the threshold of Olympic history in the Sorbonne

Mike Rowbottom: Standing on the threshold of Olympic history in the Sorbonne

The threshold is a clear one, between marble tiles and parquet flooring. The door stands ajar, its brass nameplate proclaiming “Salle Greard.” On June 23 1894, Baron Pierre De Coubertin and a group of invited delegates walked in over this threshold deep within the Sorbonne University buildings and, later in the day, out over it. During which time the International Olympic Committee, and the modern Games, were born.