Pharrell Williams, at a Louis Vuitton event, made an interesting suggestion. He suggested that arts be added to the Olympics. While this may seem like a peculiar suggestion at first read, it isn’t peculiar once you understand the history of the Olympic games. As it turns out, from 1912-1948 the arts were included as a competition in the Olympic Games. The categories were architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture. All of the creations had to be inspired by sport, and then a panel of jurors would decide who received gold, silver, and bronze medals.
Pierre de Coubertin, the creator of the modern games, is quoted as saying, “Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example, and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.” A believer in both athletic feats as well as mental feats, the arts being included was a no-brainer to him. One of the reasons they removed the arts as a category of competition was because the competitors in the arts were considered professionals and the Olympic Games were started for amateurs. We can all agree that at this point, the Olympic Games very much have professionals competing, so the reasoning for not including the arts is gone. In a time where society is as creative as it has ever been, the arts would be a fine addition.
If the arts were added today, how would it go? The assumption would be that each country would have local competitions to see who was the best in their respective countries, and then they’d compete in the world championships as well. As with most art-based competitions that are judged by groups of jurors or academies, the results always seem to cause conversation. This is simply because being completely objective when judging the arts is nearly impossible. Having unanimous agreement over winners is also impossible. Nobel winners, Grammy winners, Pulitzer winners, and every award in between, have been marred by controversy. The benefits of athletic-based competitions are that the winner is usually pretty clear. Fastest times, final scores, and whoever finishes first. The only competitions in the Olympic Games that don’t seem to be completely objective would be gymnastics, skating, and things like synchronized swimming. These would be the scoring systems closest to how they could do the arts. Points for difficulty, execution, and artistic impression. This is speculation on how arts can be scored. It is uncertain how it would be done on a large scale for things like music which is very subjective.
As far as the makeup of the judges, it would be fair to have representatives from different countries. Also translators for the literature or the music pieces to ensure the judge understands everything going on. Another aspect would be to make sure whoever is judging knows said thing they are judging. This is a long shot, but if the arts are added, it would be interesting to watch. Not everyone can be in peak physical condition to compete in the Olympic Games, but a lot of people are of sound enough mind that they could compete if the arts are involved. The age range would be wide and the creativity from country to country would be impressive to see.