The Olympic Truce and International Inspiration

What is the Olympic Truce?

The ancient 9th Century BC Greek tradition of Ekecheiria (“Olympic Truce”), calls for a truce during the Olympic Games to encourage a peaceful environment and ensure safe passage and participation of athletes and relevant persons at the Games, thus mobilising the youth of the world in support of peace.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) revived the Truce in 1992 and the first United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution was passed. It is renewed every two years in advance of the summer and winter Games.

Adoption of the United Nations Resolution on the Olympic Truce

The UK sponsored the record breaking UN Resolution on the Olympic Truce entitled "Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal" on 17 October 2011.

In an unprecedented show of support, all 193 UN Member States co-sponsored the Resolution at the UN in New York, signing up to the ideals of peace and conflict resolution and the premise that individuals, not countries, compete against each other in sport in peaceful competition without the burden of politics, religion, or racism.

Lord Coe led the UK delegation to New York. You can read his speech at the United Nations on the UK Mission to the United Nations website.

In Geneva, on the same day that the Olympic Truce Resolution was adopted, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met Lord Bates who has recently completed a "walk for truce" from Mount Olympus in Greece to London.

Ban Ki-moon praised Lord Bates for raising awareness of the Truce and as highlighting the fact that everyone has the possibility to make a personal contribution to peace. Ban Ki-moon said that he hoped that London 2012 would provide great momentum to solving the many conflicts which face the world.

What the UK is doing to promote the ideals of the Olympic Truce?

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is organising truce activities in the UK including:

• Get Set for the Olympic Truce which encourages young people across the UK to learn about the history of the Olympic Truce, to debate and discuss what the Olympic Truce means to their lives and to undertake an activity to promote peace within their school or community. Materials are being promoted to over 20,000 schools registered with Get Set.
• Truce Inspire, a ‘truce’ strand of the Inspire programme through which LOCOG are specifically looking for projects inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games which use sport or culture to promote conflict resolution, reconciliation and peace.
• The Cultural Olympiad and the London 2012 Festival organised by LOCOG and the NGO Peace One Day is delivering a truce strand of the Film Nation Shorts project through which 14-25 year olds are invited to create films focused on the truce theme. LOCOG has also partnered with Peace One Day to deliver a series of concerts as part of the London 2012 Festival.

Together with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partners, DFID is promoting the ideals of the Olympic Truce internationally under the themes of:

Local solutions to local problems: Preventing conflict and building peace requires the involvement of the local communities who are most affected. The FCO is looking for opportunities to work with host governments, communities, faith groups, civil society and the media to build relationships across boundaries.

Legitimate Politics: Legitimate politics are essential for peace. The most peaceful political systems are accountable, give everybody a voice and are trusted to manage difference and accommodate change. We are seeking to work with Parliamentarians and bodies such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and Commonwealth to promote the Truce and encourage public commitments to conflict prevention and peace-building.

Building a 2012 Truce legacy: Through an active public diplomacy programme we have an opportunity to increase international public interest and involvement in conflict prevention and peace-building and to raise the level of ambition for future Olympic Truces.

Find out more about the Olympic Truce on the FCO website

DFID and International Inspiration

International Inspiration is London 2012’s international sports legacy programme. It is integral to the UK Government’s delivery of the ‘Singapore Promise’ to inspire a generation of young people in Britain and internationally through sport.

It is supported by the Department for International Development (DFID), the British Council, the English Premier League, DCMS, and UNICEF. Ambassadors include: Sir Chris Hoy, Denise Lewis, Baroness Grey-Thompson, David Beckham and Colin Jackson.

209 schools in the UK and 209 schools in International Inspiration countries around the world are part of the programme.

UKaid supports the International Inspiration programme in countries such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan and Uganda. As of February 2012 more than 12 million young people have been engaged through the programme.

Find out more about International Inspiration