The Olympic Games and Education of Children and Youth: The Pedagogical Potential of Mega-Events Olympic Values as the Foundation of an Educational System The Olympic Games are not only a sporting competition but also a unique pedagogical system that has a powerful impact on shaping the personality of the younger generation. The educational potential of the Games is rooted in the fundamental principles of Olympism formulated by Pierre de Coubertin and the modern values promoted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC): friendship, respect, the pursuit of excellence (faster, higher, stronger), courage, equality, determination, and inspiration. These abstract categories take tangible forms in the context of the Games: respect is manifested in the handshake between competitors after the finish line, friendship in the international communication in the Olympic Village, and the pursuit of excellence in the long history of a sportsman's preparation. For children and adolescents who are searching for ideals and models of behavior, such visual and narrative examples have more power than abstract moral lessons. Cognitive and Emotional Aspects of Influence The educational impact of the Games is realized through several interconnected channels: Identification and role modeling. Young people tend to identify with Olympic athletes who become "significant others" for them. Stories of overcoming injuries (such as figure skater Yulia Lipnitskaya at Sochi-2014) or victory after years of failure (such as bobsledder Albert Demchenko, who won silver at 42) demonstrate the value of perseverance and resilience. At the same time, modern pedagogy emphasizes the importance of demonstrating not only victory but also dignified acceptance of defeat, which is a critically important social skill. Formation of civic and global identity. The Olympics becomes a powerful catalyst for a sense of belonging — both to one's national community (through the experience of "we" during the performances of ... Read more