The Song of Olympism: Grawe Geela Song

It should be noted that prior to 776 B.C., a number of written records and compilation of ancient stories were kept and still renamed in Ancient Olympia and that they were significant histories in the past, telling us about the fairy tales of deity. It was the centralized place of worship for mankind during the Ancient Olympic Games. People did this with great determination as they thought that poor health would be a barrier to success. For that matter, they all trained to become strong as they wanted to master every sport discipline to defeat others in order that they would have a chance to receive an “Olive Crown” which was too valuable to be priced, but it meant a lot to the athletes as they were able to take part in the competition. On the top of that, it would be a great opportunity for them to learn how to overcome discomfort and hardship before success. Despite that they would at least share a part in the Modern Olympic Games created in Athens, Greek, in 1896 where Baron Pierre de Coubertin who once said in his speech that the most important thing was not to win but to take part and that it has become the concept of Olympism ever since then. Under his philosophical statement, it thus gave fresh impetus to those who followed his principles, enabling them to gain better quality of life, helping them to create peace for mankind and yielding direct benefit to sport values through learning and understanding about the Olympic values as related to excellence, friendship and respect.

We have all long been absorbed in the Olympic Movement through the mechanism of Olympic education. For effectiveness and practical purposes, it is necessary for us to create a song called Grawe Geela composed by Chao Phaya Thammasakdi (Sanan Thephasadin) in 1924 about 87 years ago. For your information, this Song has beautiful lyrics and melodies expressing direct personal feelings, telling us about the benefit of exercise and playing sport. This song, if listened, would help mind, spirit and society develop as a whole. As a consequence, sport would be better than that of any type of medicine to have been around. For that matter, Thailand has been using this Song to promote the athletes and related personnel in sport through learning and understanding the objectives in full. Undoubtedly, this Song would help create the spirit of sportsmanship, engraving deeply on the mind and soul of the athletes that in turn would eventually help them develop with strong determination to succeed with effective training for excellence and for the unity of the mass of the population, taking into account the significance of promoting the ideas of Olympic Movement and principles of healthy lifestyle among people playing sport.

(1) pork row nak geela jai kla hran

cheaw chan ching chai mai yon yor

kraw cha na ruk yai mai ree row

kraw pea kor mai tor kat fun ton

(2) #hum hum hum hum#

geela geela pen ya vi set ha hi ha hi

geela geela pen ya vi set

kae kong ki let tum kon hai pen kon

pon kong kan ferk ton

len geela sakhon ta la la

(3) rang kray kum yum lum lert

kram ners kor kerd tuk hang hon

kang rang tor ra hod oad ton

wong wai mai yon ra yor kai

(4) jai kor man kong song sak
rhu jak tee knee tee lai

rhu phae rhu cha na rhu a pai

vhai jai dry tour tank ruk chan

(5) mai chorp al pearb tearb kang kan

suu kan surng na yha lub lung

mour suan tour perl la kum lung

kead chang karn len hen kae tour

               

(6) len rurm kum lung gun tung pourk

al chai sa douk mai chai shour

mai wha khan rhur len pen mai kurl
roum mher gun tour kor chai yo

The first lines of lyrics express the athletes with the sprint of bravery, radiating themselves through training for excellence, becoming aggressive when an opportunity opens and learning to accept losses for better improvement in the future.

The second lines of lyrics express sport is a wonderful medicine, enabling to polish people to be a better man through effective training for international competitions.

The third lines of lyrics express vigorous body with good muscle mass, endurance, speed, agility and not to give ways or influence to anybody.

The fourth lines of lyrics express unyielding spirit, learning how to survive in the Games, respecting rules and regulations of the Games with fairness and showing likes and dislikes equally.

The fifth lines of lyrics express not to play tricks to achieve a victory, fighting gamely by the rules, not to bring in any personal problems while playing in the Games, and not to be selfish as it is a disgrace to others.

The sixth lines of lyrics express the unity of intellectual power where everybody is sharing a part in it. The victory shall come with pride without playing a trick, enabling to confront any situations without frustration and joining together to strive for success.

Surely, the philosophy of composer has left this national heritage to pursue for further study. Besides, he has provided guidelines for Thai people to realize, not to neglect the unique beauty of sport as outlined by the International Olympic Academy which has long been promoting the Olympic Education thoroughly for more than 50 years. For that matter, it could be treated that this song is the knowledgeable resources and the centre of learning from that of the past to the present as well as to the future with sustainable development. As a consequence, the International Olympic Academy has been expanding its network to 167 member countries worldwide as to disseminate knowledge as concerned Olympism to the mass of the population and to absorb its value as the national heritage.

Meanwhile, with the establishment of Thailand Olympic Academy for more than 10 years ago, it has shared a part in the Olympic Movement under the leadership of Dr.Supitr Samahito, Director of Thailand Olympic Academy, who has been using the Grawe Geela Song as the hymn for Thailand Olympic Academy as to encourage and develop the value of sport for Thai youths through Olympic Culture and Education Activities and to inject them with knowledge, understanding and securing them with the real essence of sport and Olympism all along further.

Editor by

Suriyan Somphong

8 June 2011