A Vision becomes Reality
What does it actually mean to build an international cultural movement from the ground up? In this second episode, Christian Kirsch opens the curtain on the creation of the modern Delphic Games — not just as an idea, but as a carefully crafted system shaped by experience, talent, and the desire to unite rather than divide.
Kirsch begins by addressing a question many experts once dismissed: Can arts be evaluated? While specialists insisted that artistic expression is “too individual” for competition, Kirsch had spent decades working with performers, painters, and designers who lived competition every day — fighting for limited stages, scarce gallery space, and the rare opportunity to be seen. This real-world insight became the foundation for establishing rules that were not invented from above but developed collaboratively with artists and teachers themselves.
From this process emerged six art categories — a structural innovation comparable to defining disciplines in sport. Four of these Art Categories honour traditional artistic expressions: Musical Arts & Sounds; Performing Arts & Acrobatics; Language Arts & Rhetoric; and Visual Arts & Handicrafts. Two categories, however, were visionary for their time: Social Arts & Communication, and Ecological Arts & Architecture. Thirty years ago, the idea that ecological creativity belonged in an international arts competition was considered almost absurd. But for Kirsch, caring for the environment, fostering innovation, and cultivating imagination were inseparable from the future of culture. If the Olympics are symbolized by fire, the Delphic Games are symbolized by water — fluid, life-giving, and universal.
Kirsch also reflects on the deeper philosophical foundation of the project: the ancient Greek understanding of the unity of body and mind. For him, the Olympic Games celebrate the physical, but the Delphic Games give the human mind its rightful stage. This balance — this symbiosis — is what makes a society whole.
The episode then turns to the challenges and unexpected allies that shaped the early years. From warnings by politicians that he would face “enemies and threats,” to moments where promised support vanished at crucial times, Kirsch portrays the reality behind pioneering cultural work. Yet, just as often, he encountered “hidden talents”—people connected to political and cultural leaders who stepped forward because they sensed that something transformative was beginning.
We hear how Georgia became the first host country for the Youth Delphic Games in 1997, establishing an identity-building event even under geopolitical pressure. We follow Kirsch through encounters with world figures such as Mikhail Gorbachev, Queen Sofía of Spain, and influential cultural leaders across Europe. Each meeting added a building block to the emerging movement — reinforcing the idea that arts are not entertainment alone but a strategic force for peace, identity, and international understanding.
This episode reveals the human dimension of the Delphic Vision: perseverance through doubt, the courage to think beyond Western and Eastern cultural divides, and the belief that creativity can change how nations communicate. Kirsch shows that the Delphic Games are not just a cultural event but an expression of human identities and skills — they are a bridge between worlds, an invitation for societies to rediscover their shared spirit.
If you want to understand how a modern global cultural movement takes shape — through vision, resistance, cooperation, and conviction — this conversation offers a rare and inspiring look behind the scenes.