I am reading these unflattering nouns on a chamber wall of the municipal hall in the elegant 7th Arrondissement of sizzling old Paree, tucked on a side street behind Les Invalides. The object of the accusations is an easy target; he died flat-broke and heartbroken 87 years ago. But maybe it is time to take it a little easier on the Baron de Coubertin.

Pierre de Coubertin did not want women in the Olympics, among other problematic views. Even his defender concedes: 'He wasn’t perfect'{ai:summary}<p>In the shadowed halls of Paris, echoes of old scandals dance alongside accusations piled on the late Baron de Coubertin. The accusations—antisemitism, racism, misogyny—linger like smoke, but they belong to a man who can no longer speak for himself. </p><p>Perhaps it’s time to peel back the layers of history and consider the man beyond the labels. #culture</p>

Allen Abel: The founder of the modern Games would hate these Olympics. And that is good.

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