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The Olympic Truce
“The Olympic ideals closely resemble those of
the United Nations in seeking peace and understanding
among nations and people... I call upon all nations
to observe the Olympic Truce. I am convinced that
in this observance, and by working with the International
Olympic Committee to promote the Olympic Ideal,
we will draw the world’s attention to what humanity
can achieve in the name of international understanding.”
Mr. Kofi Annan,
Secretary General of the United Nations
One important cornerstone of the Olympic Games is the “OLYMPIC TRUCE” a unique concept for the promotion of global peace. In 1992, IOC moved this old ancient Greece tradition by calling upon all nations to observe the Olympic Truce. In 1993 the United Nations General Assembly informed all countries to cease hostilities during the Olympics.
From religious
festival to sports festival
There has been a lot of misunderstandings about
the meaning of the "OLYMPIC TRUCE" or EKECHEIRIA
(gr.). A modern myth is that the Greeks used the
TRUCE to end wars which never happened. The tradition
of the TRUCE was established already in the 9th
century BC by a treaty between three kings, Iphitos
of Elis, Cleosthenes of Pisa and Lycurgus of Sparta.
The treaty was assured by the almighty power of
the Greek god Zeus who was believed to protect travellers
and punishment would come to those who failed to
observe this sacred truce so all Greeks honoured
this sacred truce. The Olympic Games were in the
beginning a religious festival in Zeus honour, not
a sports festival for peace. The festival took place
in Olympia in the state of Elis, a religious site
that was sacred territory. The warfare continued
between the Greek states but athletes and visitors
who travelled through warring territories were not
harmed. The Olympic Festival was announced by heralds,
called spondophoroi, who were crowned in olive branches.
They travelled from Elis to the regions of Greece
proclaiming the beginning of the period of truce
and presented the date of the Olympic festival.
The best
proof of support…
180 United Nations Member Countries supported in 1999 a resolution to support the observance of the Olympic Truce during Games in Sydney, Australia year 2000. The best proof of support of this resolution was at the opening ceremony of the Games in Sydney when the South and North Korean delegations walked under the same flag into the Olympic stadium together.
International
Olympic Truce Centre
On July 24, 2000, an International Olympic
Truce Centre (IOTC) was opened, with offices
in Athens and Lausanne and with a symbolic seat
in ancient Olympia. After a proposal in 1999 from
the Greek Government the IOC accepted to establish
a Centre. The goal with the centre is to use the
Olympic ideal in order to promote a peaceful and
better world. According to IOTC is the main purpose:
“The Olympic Truce aims to protect,
as far as possible, the interests of the athletes
and sport in general and to contribute to the search
for diplomatic solutions to the various conflicts
around the world.”
If you want to support truce or learn more about IOTC you can visit www.olympictruce.org
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