Peacebuilding &conflict transformation A ... - Peaceworkafrica

6. Olympic Games – a promoter of peaceThe link between sport and peace is ancient. According to records, the first OlympicGames took place in Ancient Greece in 776 BC. Certain traditions and rules wereestablished, for example:▶ The Olympic Games were usually held every four years.▶ A race over the length of the stadium’s (192.27 meters) used to take place andthe winner was allowed to light the fire in the altar.▶ It was forbidden to enter the sacred City of Olympia with weapons.▶ A truce called ‘Olympic Peace’ was held to allow the athletes and spectatorsto travel to the games in peace. This ceasefire was originally held over a periodof one month, but was later expanded to a period of up to three months. Duringthis period athletes, spectators and dignitaries were able to peacefullymake their way to Olympia, even when they had to pass through the territoryof a state with which their own state was at war. This rule was respectedthroughout Ancient Greece.The tradition on Olympic Truce is still a point of discussion on international level:The first resolution for a global truce during the Olympic Games was passed by theUN Assembly in 1993. On September 8th, 2000, the United Nations issued the followingstatement in its Millennium Declaration ‘We urge Member States to observethe Olympic Truce, individually and collectively, now and in the future, and to supportthe International Olympic Committee in its efforts to promote peace andhuman understanding through sport and the Olympic Ideal.’Ahead of this declaration and in order to re‐establish the tradition of anOlympic Truce on a worldwide scale, the ‘International Olympic Truce Centre’ wasfounded in July 2000 in Athens. This initiative had become necessary because theUSA had rejected an Olympic ceasefire prior to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games inSalt Lake City. Colin Powell, the then American foreign secretary significantly limitedthe range of the Olympic Peace vision by stating that the call for Olympic peacedoes not guarantee a ceasefire and only applies for the location itself and for thetransport. 6 This decision of the USA was made on the experience of the September11th attacks and the USA’s desire not to have its hands tied.In November 2003, the General Assembly of the United Nations unanimouslyvoted for a truce during the Olympic Games between the 13th and 29th August 2004in Athens. George Papandreou, the then Greek foreign minister and host of the2004 Olympic Games, declared his hope that Athens would become a beacon ofpeace during the Games. He urged the athletes, promoters, observers and the inter-244 V I I . F A I R P L AY