100th anniversary of the first modern Olympic Games and the first participation of the Slovak Republic in the summer

200 Sk commemorative silver coin

The Olympic Games, the most important sporting event in the world, convince us, from their revival in 1896, that humanity has few such festivals which can compete in tradition, beauty or nobility of thought with this unique inheritance from the past.

The Olympic symbol – five inter-linked rings of varying colours – expresses the desire to bring the nations of all the continents closer together. Their motto – Citius, altius, fortius (Faster, higher, stronger), is an appeal to the athletes of the world to perform in a chivalrous spirit – for the winners to respect the losers, and for the losers to seek the moral strength to win. All this should be done in the spirit of the message of the founder of the modern Olympic Games Pierre de Coubertin: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part, since the important thing in life is not to triumph but to struggle.”