He held the rank of lieutenant general in the Imperial Russian Army, taught at the Poltava Cadet Corps [ru] and was a sports functionary.

After one of the trips abroad, he noted with regret that in many countries the problem of physical education understood and supported in the power echelons, and in Russia, these issues have been neglected.

They met in 1892 in France, where on orders of military departments of Russia, Butovsky studied the training of gymnasts and fencers.

Convened de Coubertin Congress defined the timing and venue of the first two modern Olympics - Athens and Paris, 1896 and 1900 - and chose the first members of the IOC.

Butovsky outlined details of the first modern Olympics in the book "Athens in the spring of 1896" - the first and the only one[citation needed] Russian-language publication devoted to this historic event.