An outdoor adventure programme infused with olympic values in teaching olympism to university students

Abstract

Olympic education and the underlying concept of Olympism draw largely on the writings of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic movement. Olympism is a philosophy, not only for the competition and victory of elite athletes, but also as a holistic approach throughout an individual’s lifespan. Olympism uses participation and cooperation in physical and movement activities as medium for education. The purpose of the study is to determine the role of an outdoor adventure camp, infused with Olympic values, in a multicultural student cohort setting at a university in Johannesburg. Qualitative data were collected by means of focus group discussions with the camp participants. Data were analysed with ATLAS.ti to develop themes and categories. The findings revealed positive experiences among the participants with an understanding of the Olympic values of respect and friendship, and their relationship to the participants’ daily lives when interacting with their peers and family. Although the participants understood the concept of excellence, its relevance and application in their daily activities were not as prominent as respect and friendship. Follow-up interventions are recommended to ensure sustained implementation on and off the sports field.

Keywords: Cultural activities; Outdoor adventure; Multicultural; Higher education institutions; Olympism; Olympic values; Team-building.