“Sport can change the life of a refugee child”
“I had never been to a refugee camp before. I had never had the opportunity to see the reality of its inhabitants’ everyday lives. Last April, with Peace and Sport,…
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“I had never been to a refugee camp before. I had never had the opportunity to see the reality of its inhabitants’ everyday lives. Last April, with Peace and Sport,…
> Read more“On Friday 7 June, football will focus on women. On that day, the sport invented by men for men will put women on centre stage, who will take up…
> Read moreIn one month, the Olympic Day will be celebrated around the world to promote participation in sport across the globe regardless of age, gender or athletic ability. It is also…
> Read more“We couldn’t have dreamt it better. For three days, from 19 – 21 April, the International Extreme Sports Festival (FISE) wrapped up Peace and Sport’s 2019 #WhiteCard campaign in Hiroshima,…
> Read moreI will never forget April 6, 2019. The emotion of this day will remain forever engrained in my memory. For the first time in my career, I decided to actively…
> Read more“Time doesn’t erase memories. It gives them meaning. Four years have passed since the first edition of our #WhiteCard campaign. I remember every detail: Peace and Sport were looking for…
> Read more“Football taught me everything. It changed my life. From my first games on the pavements of Abidjan until my last professional match in the United States last November, football has…
> Read more“Being involved in charities has always been a natural thing for me. Even before the end of my Karate career in 2006, I wanted to transmit knowledge. I wanted to…
> Read more“Sport has been my luck. It has opened doors that I never even dreamed of. I was born in Toulouse, where I discovered football at a very young age, following…
> Read moreThe date is an important one. For Peace and Sport, the date of 21 September is always written in capital letters, as is 6 April, which marks International Day of…
> Read moreI’d dare to see it as a sign. Last month, just one week apart, the paradigm of peace through sport spread across continents and generations. It was written in the…
> Read moreWas I born in the right place at the right time? Am I just lucky? As I look back, I think I can answer these two questions positively. I was…
> Read more“The curtain has now fallen on the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Over a four-week period, the tournament celebrated football: Its magic, its universality and its power to captivate the…
> Read more“No other sport is quite like Football. It undoubtedly has the capacity to break down barriers more than any other sporting discipline. Between peoples, between nations and between communities. I…
> Read moreWe live in a violent world where, even though diplomacy plays its part, a pervasive element is omnipresent. Every day, news reporters tell us about the horror of conflicts erupting…
> Read moreSince 2007, when I created the ‘Judo For Peace’ commission within the International Judo Federation, our organization, alone or in association with other structures, has been carrying out many projects…
> Read moreWhat a year! Less than four months have gone by since the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games, but the world has already fixed its attention on another global sporting event. The…
> Read moreHigh degrees of vulnerability are deeply entrenched in Nepali society and, among the diverse groups facing daily discrimination and lack of opportunities, are those citizens of the country living with…
> Read moreI wasn’t predestined to become a pole-vaulter. I could even have missed out on athletics altogether. I began playing sport very early in life, around 5 years old, and I…
> Read moreThe PyeongChang Olympic Games provided a forceful and eloquent illustration: sport can succeed where politics fail. The sight of the two Koreas walking together in a procession transmitted a worldwide…
> Read moreI was born in Benin, Africa. It’s a poor country, with sparse conditions for playing sport and even more limited training resources. That’s how it was when I was young….
> Read moreMajor sporting events don’t only have winners and losers. They don’t only have the power to bring people together in stadiums or in front of their televisions. They inspire entire…
> Read moreThere’s a special image that will always make us think of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics: two athletes – a man and a woman – from the Korean delegation enter…
> Read moreLast friday, the entire world had its eyes turned towards Pyeongchang. Everyone watched the splendid pageant of the 2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony with excitement and emotion. During the delegations’…
> Read moreWhat is the priority of sport for peace in 2018? Should we focus on teaching, so that sport can create social change at schools and universities around the world? Should…
> Read moreSince 2013 local youths with a great passion for basketball have decided to spend eleven months serving as ENGAGE Sport Coaches, ESCs the flagship program promoted by ENGAGE, a small…
> Read moreHaiti is a country with a strong history, while it is mostly known for being one of the poorest nations in the world; it is worth noticing that it was…
> Read moreNine new Champions for Peace are coming together for the International Day of Peace on 21 September to publicize the inspiring values of sport which have the capacity to push…
> Read morePromo Jeune Basket has always believed that sport has the power to teach young people important values and lessons in their lives. The four program values – hard work, discipline,…
> Read moreIt is often said that the hope of a country is its children and youth. In that sense, Timor-Leste has much to be hopeful about, as it is still a…
> Read moreThe African Great Lakes region, especially Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has witnessed decades of war and ethnic conflict since their independence in the 1960s. Hostilities…
> Read moreThe Sixth International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sport (MINEPS VI) held in Kazan, Russian Federation was a fruitful opportunity for Peace and Sport to appeal…
> Read morePeace is much more than the absence of war and negative peace has endured on the Korean peninsula for decades. The continued division of the Korean people limits the realization…
> Read more“If you want peace you need to prepare for Peace”. Inspired by the motto of the University for peace, the Karamoja Cluster Project (KCP), a cross-border program through sport, was…
> Read moreUnited Nations World Refugee Day on 20 June has reminded us of the recent wave of immigration to Europe, caused by the wars that currently ravage Iraq and Syria. This…
> Read moreWorld Refugee day, marked on June 20, is an occasion to reflect about challenges refugees are facing in their everyday lives and opportunities that could be offered in host countries….
> Read moreThe world woke up with devastating news on June 4th: a third major terrorist strike in the UK in three months. That same week, within days, it was reported a…
> Read moreIn social contexts with a history of conflict, sport for community development transcends the idea of a healthy alternative to use spare time and becomes a tool to develop skills…
> Read moreAs an athlete and an artist, I struggled for years to balance both sport and art in my life. But on my journey to becoming an Olympic athlete and then…
> Read moreIn a recent skype conversation with Nicolai Zeltinger, the Head Coach of the German male wheelchair basketball team and the Coach of the RSV Lahn-Dill, the German, we learned how…
> Read moreSports promotes cooperation, builds a common identity, and provides an overarching language to communities in conflict. I learned it first hand, because tennis changed my life. Growing up as a…
> Read moreAt the beginning of April, I participated in the Harvard and MIT Brazil Conference, an event organized by students at these institutions with the mission of bringing together brilliant minds…
> Read moreAs an academic, practitioners want to understand my knowledge, and I want to understand their experience. Combining knowledge and experience can only promote the cause of peace through sport. However,…
> Read moreWe have all just witnessed an incredible 4th edition of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. With a record number of projects from every corner of the world,…
> Read moreThe international community, activated by Peace and Sport, engaged last week in a successful mobilization, which proved that sport generates positive social change in the world. On the 4th edition of…
> Read moreSport is far more than a form of entertainment. It is also a potential catalyst for the promotion of education and culture beyond being essential to human development. Sport is…
> Read moreSince the launch of the #WhiteCard campaign 4 years ago, more and more people have identified with the values of it and today, more than 28 million people have seen…
> Read moreOn November 24th, 2016, the government of Colombia signed a peace agreement with FARC[1], putting an end to a 50-year-old internal conflict. The country’s number one priority is the successful…
> Read moreThe town of Pinga in the DRC has been the site of horrific violence. Rebel groups and government forces clashed there as part of the country’s ongoing civil war, and…
> Read morePeople say that behind every successful man, there is a woman. But I believe that also behind every successful woman there is a man. At the International Women’s Day, I…
> Read moreThroughout the course of history many athletes have spoken out in favor of social issues. Their actions and commitment have demonstrated that sportspersons can play an important role inciting social…
> Read moreRecently I attended a junior’s wheelchair basketball tournament at Ability 360. This is a 62,000-square-foot universally designed, accessible and transit-oriented non-profit resources center serving the disability community in the Greater…
> Read moreSport is a universal language. I think we all understand its potential. To harness this potential, we need the interface of social science research, young people and government – this…
> Read more“Good wishes alone will not ensure peace”, said Alfred Nobel. Last week at the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, I was pleased to see so many young people and…
> Read moreThe use of recreational sport to advance peace building in highly volatile contexts has experienced a notable upsurge in recent years. This has been the case in conflict regions such…
> Read moreAt some point in our lives we come to what can best be described as an awakening. It’s a moment that stops us in our tracks, a moment that brings…
> Read moreSport is an effective tool for ameliorating diplomatic relations and exceeding social, economic and cultural differences. With that thought in mind, Rugby Sin Fronteras (Rugby without Borders) foundation has organized…
> Read moreFor years I have believed in the huge potential of sport to bring about peace and development. At the same time, I’ve been aware that my sport – tennis –…
> Read moreAs 2016 drew to a close I want to delve into the importance of using digital media and information platforms in the service of peace. Sport information content focused on…
> Read moreThe magic of sports is its ability to show us that we all want to help each other to reach our most ambitious goals. It helps us discover our true…
> Read moreTwo premises guide the work of the Academy: that sport has a part to play in addressing the challenges that face humanity in the 21st century and to be seen…
> Read moreThe International Day of Persons with Disabilities, marked on December 3rd, is a day to reflect on the importance to increase sport participation among persons living with disabilities. The Paralympics…
> Read morePeace and Sport wants to demonstrate that sport is a tool at the service of global peace. It can be used in places where civil war, ethnic conflicts, natural disasters or extreme poverty…
> Read moreA lot has happened since Rose Lokonyen walked into the Olympic Stadium as a flag bearer of the Rio 2016 Refugee Olympic Team. Rose was amongst the 10 athletes from…
> Read moreHow? Why? These questions are the next step in capitalizing on what we already know to be true—that sport has the power to unite people across differences. If we understand…
> Read moreWhat is the true purpose of sport and play? What constitutes the essential core of these activities? How do sport and play serve humanity and societies around the world? We…
> Read moreSport is a cost-effective, flexible and powerful tool in promoting peace and development objectives. It brings people together regardless of their origins and backgrounds, creates strong social cohesion and bonds,…
> Read moreLast weekend, 180 youngsters from 9 to 16 years old were protagonists at the 7th edition of the Great Lakes Friendship Games. During three days youth from Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo…
> Read moreToday, at the end of a week marked with peace-related events, I write these words with optimism. This week, three events have been taking place in different parts of the…
> Read moreWorld Mental Health Day, marked on October 10, is a day to reflect on the challenges refugee children face everyday; but especially in terms of their mental health. This day…
> Read more“For as long as we invest in outdated or self-serving models of humanitarian action, we will continue to trade in missed opportunities.” – Dr. Samantha Nutt It is time for…
> Read moreThirty-five years have passed since the United Nations General Assembly declared in a resolution the International Day of Peace, with a purpose to commemorate and strengthen the “ideals of peace…
> Read moreWhile Sport for Peace is widely seen as an emerging field, its antecedents can be traced back to the Olympic Truce where it was first used to settle temporary peace…
> Read moreWith 4,350 world-class athletes representing 176 nations competing for medals in 23 sport competitions, the upcoming Paralympic Games in Rio, especially after the great successes of the London edition, have…
> Read moreGlobal changes are challenging the way we mobilize for change. It’s not time to exit, but it is maybe last moment to change the way we play together. Young people…
> Read moreDuring the two-week of inaction between the Olympic and the Paralympic Games we have a unique opportunity to reflect how both events can improve conditions necessary for sustainable peace. Rio…
> Read moreOne of the most important things that I have learned as a sport athlete came from the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona. I went there with a vision of…
> Read moreThe traditional Olympic Truce, the sacred historical pause when nations around the world observe a period of peace, has begun. From 5th to 21st August the Rio 2016 Olympic Games…
> Read moreThe eyes of the world will be focussed on Rio for the Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad on Friday 5 August. Few may have noticed that…
> Read more“We can tackle Homelessness and football can show the way” were the opening words as the 2016 Homeless World Cup kicked of in Glasgow on the 10th of July. Small…
> Read moreWe are living in society where individuals are becoming incrementally intolerant. The last few weeks have been plagued with intolerant attacks globally. Today, I am writing these words with a…
> Read moreThere are lessons to be learned from disability sports. It is those of us without a physical disability who put up barriers that prevent people with disabilities from playing, e.g….
> Read moreThe 103rd edition of the Tour the France has begun. For the next 23 days the world’s most prestigious bike race will be a perfect occasion to celebrate the positive…
> Read moreFootball is a dominant force for good in the lives of million youth and children worldwide. It has a universal language and it is used as platform for cooperation and…
> Read moreWorld Refugee day, marked on June 20, is a moment to reflect about challenges refugees are facing in their everyday lives, as well as about the resilience they demonstrate in…
> Read moreOne of the most important things that I have learned as a sport athlete came from outside of the rugby field, when I began to see the power of sport…
> Read moreRio 2016 Olympic Games will be remembered and its message of peace will prevail. Last Friday, the International Olympic Committee announced names of the ten athletes who will act not…
> Read more“The Role of Sport in Peace Building and Post-Conflict” was recently discussed in a public debate at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, a think tank and executive education institution…
> Read more“The Olympic flag is a universal symbol. It belongs to everyone. It belongs to mankind….it is the expression of universality and of brotherhood of the world.” Jacques Rogge, 2008 In…
> Read moreThe movement to use sport as a catalyst for improving the lives of girls has been growing globally. Many efforts have been done at the international level to promote girl’s…
> Read morePeace and global change derive from initiatives or small projects that create a bonfire on a large scale. Leaving aside its size, each sport project has the potential to have…
> Read moreMilitant, street battle-hardened Egyptian soccer fans set the stage for growing protests against the government of general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al Sisi when they earlier this month forced their way into…
> Read moreIn the modern era, the Olympic Flame has been a powerful symbol of peace, unity and solidarity. Last week, again, the Olympic Flame was lit in Greece spreading the message of…
> Read moreFor the athletes we work with day to day, the Olympic and Paralympic Games are the pinnacle of their careers. As such, it is imperative that they are best prepared…
> Read moreIn a compendium of achievements around the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) on April 6, the international community, activated by Peace and Sport, engaged in a successful global mobilization…
> Read moreOn April 6 people unite by one language and one belief: language of sport and conviction of a possible peace. In 2014 the International Day of Sport for Development and…
> Read moreA week ago, the world woke up with devastating news: a deadly explosion in Belgium left 35 people dead and 270 wounded. Three days later 32 people, among them many…
> Read moreSport likes symbols. They are firmly anchored in its history: the Olympic rings; the Olympic flame; the crystal globe; the golden ball. They are all part of the legend. They carry inherent values and have survived the…
> Read moreThomas Bach made the announcement at the beginning of March: a team of refugees will participate in the Rio Games in August 2016, made up of between 5 and 10…
> Read moreNovak Djokovic is a Champion for Peace. The Serbian tennis player joined Peace and Sport in April 2011 and, with conviction, commitment and humility, became part of a group of ambassadors…
> Read moreThe Olympic race has started in earnest for the four bidding cities for the 2024 summer Olympics. Budapest, Los Angeles, Paris and Rome presented their initial candidate files to the…
> Read moreIn Colombia, throughout the territory, the dynamics of armed conflict have affected communities in all their dimensions, destroying social links, trust, integration and respect for others. The cycle of violence…
> Read moreDuring recent months, I have been helping Sandboarding Peru integrate behavioral principles into its coaching framework for underprivileged children and youth doing sandboarding in Huacachina, Peru. The approach and process…
> Read moreTwenty-four goals were scored in French Premier League matches between 29 and 31 January 2016 on the 23rd day of the championship. Nine victories, of which four were away matches,…
> Read moreThe sign is strong and the message eloquent. And the sight will be amazing. In April 2016, the Olympic flame will be lit in Olympia in Greece, less than four…
> Read moreOn Monday 11 January 2016, the whole world of football was focussed on Zurich, where the official FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala was held. Lionel Messi won the main award, attracting a flurry…
> Read moreNews topics often influence scheduled events in the calendar year. The Olympic year of 2016 will also be the year of refugees. Not just in Europe, where hundreds of thousands…
> Read moreAs we’ve just entered 2016, the international sports movement has already set its eyes on Rio for this summer’s Olympic Games. Six months before, it’s in the Norwegian town of…
> Read moreCreating dialogue and raising more public awareness: this is the goal that we set ourselves with the launch of the Peace and Sport Watch in April 2015. The peace through…
> Read moreLooking back on the 8th edition of the Peace and Sport International Forum, I now understand why I was convinced that our gathering was the best possible response we could provide…
> Read moreThe world is changing fast, yet conscious of the cost of violence the trap is to invest more in warfare than in structured peace-building actions. Have we not learnt from…
> Read moreToday kicks off the 6th edition of the Friendship Games, an annual sports, cultural and awareness-raising event aimed at promoting fraternity among youth from bordering countries of the Great Lakes…
> Read moreIf you were connected to social networks today, you couldn’t have missed the two vibrating topics #iLoveYOG and #youth4SDGs. With less than 100 days to go to the YOG the IOC…
> Read moreOnly one month after 193 world leaders gathered in New York to commit to the SDG’s 17 Global Goals guiding the agenda of the United Nations for the next 15…
> Read moreThe term “Sports diplomacy”, describes the use of sport as a means to influence diplomatic, social, and political relations[1]. Sports in this context may transcend cultural differences and bring people…
> Read moreToday, the Nobel Peace Prize winner was announced, the laureate went out to the National Dialogue Quarteta for their contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in…
> Read moreLast weekend saw IOC President Thomas Bach claim that sport is a “natural partner” when it comes to realizing the ambitious agenda that will guide global development over the next…
> Read moreToday, 193 world leaders will gather in New York for the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit to commit to the 17 Global Goals guiding the agenda of the United Nations…
> Read moreThis Peace Day, 21 September marks the 14th annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence, which was unanimously adopted by the member states of the United Nations in 2001. The…
> Read moreBeyond the recent tragic news, what I struggle with most is the fact that we have known the reality of a growing refugee crisis for years and that Europe could…
> Read moreRegardless of where I am in the world, the question I inevitably get asked when advocating for girls to have access to sport and personal development is, ‘But what about…
> Read moreOn July 15th this year, with my fellow marathon runner John Kelai and Wilson Kipsang we started a Walk for Peace in Kenya. Our itinerary took us on a 22…
> Read moreThe Nobel Prize currently recognizes significant international contributions in categories of Peace, Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature and Economics. The time has come to consider adding a new category – a…
> Read moreIsrael and Palestine are playing political soccer with Palestinian football as the ball. The stakes for Israel are far higher than for Palestine. Israel is effectively on probation as it…
> Read moreAccording to the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), which governs track, female Indian sprinter Dutee Chand was only eligible to compete if her “male hormone” or testosterone level was…
> Read moreAlthough I am currently in Kuala Lumpur for the IOC session, I feel the need to bring the attention back to Europe in order to highlight the event that is…
> Read moreJuly 18 has marked Nelson Mandela International Day since the 2009 unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly. Taking place every year on his day of birth, the day does…
> Read moreSouth Sudan’s bid for recognition by the Olympic movement will be considered on 28 July during the IOC executive board meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. If approved, the issue will then…
> Read moreThe post-2015 development agenda will set out a new plan for global development with the ambition to ‘transform our world by 2030’. Through the post-2015 process the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Sport…
> Read morePeace is not just the absence of war. We are constantly reminded of this, notably by recent tragic events in Egypt, Tunisia and France. Whereas conflict historically occurred more between…
> Read more20 June is the UN International Refugee Day. This is not a celebration, of course, but rather a day to raise awareness and drive change to improve the situation. This…
> Read moreSport in all its varied forms have played a prominent role in Colombian society for decades. Ranging from improvised pickup games to professional leagues, sport is practiced massively across Colombia….
> Read moreIn 2012, President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the European Union and stated: “At a time of uncertainty, this day…
> Read moreBeyond politics, beyond corruption scandals and all the media hype let me invite you to the touching stories of everyday footballers who struggle to just play. These athletes have been…
> Read moreBack in December, US President Barack Obama and Cuba’s Raul Castro announced a historic change of course after more than five decades of Cold War strains. Although the 1962 US…
> Read moreA publicity stunt a week before the election? Possibly. However, I wish to express an angle that we are discussing a lot less, which ought to be more important to…
> Read moreIndigenous communities around the globe have in recent years been seen to increasingly speak out and defend their rights, traditions and belief systems. Although there is still a lot of…
> Read moreIt didn’t take long for Thomas Bach to find his bearings when stepping into his new shoes as IOC President, and to give the function a personal touch. Since his…
> Read moreIn the Middle East, the conflict between Israel and Palestine doesn’t stop at the stadium doors. In recent weeks, football has even become, once again, a ground for expression. Quick…
> Read moreWorld sport owes much to ChoueChung-won and so does the world of peace. The South Korean leader, who’s been president of the International Taekwondo Federation (WTF) for over ten years,…
> Read moreHer name could be heard everywhere last year. Her story moved, shocked and saddened all who heard it. Ghoncheh Ghavami, a 26 year-old British-Iranian, was arrested in June 2014 in…
> Read moreby Andy SCOTT The pressure is on France to live up to their status as one of the favourites as the host nation kicked off their World Cup two weeks…
by Leo MOUREN They don’t have tons of money, sponsors or flashy practice facilities but they didn’t let that stop them: Jamaica’s ‘Reggae Girlz’, the women’s national football team that…
by Daniel DE CARTERET When Australia’s “golden generation” of women footballers begin their World Cup campaign in France on Sunday, veteran goalkeeper Lydia Williams will be flying the flag not…
by Sébastien VUAGNAT Wounded US veterans are taking part in an unusual kind of offensive this week dubbed “Operation Surf,” which is aimed at offering them a form of therapy…
Bibiana Steinhaus will not kick a single ball at the Women’s World Cup, but she will be one of the stars of the show nonetheless. The 40-year-old is the first…
by Shahid HASHMI Groomed on dusty pitches as a refugee, record-breaking Rashid Khan will face his toughest examination yet at the World Cup, with former coaches confident the Afghan can…
by Claire LEE When defender Hwang Bo-ram takes to the field in France next month, she will become the first mother to play for South Korea at the Women’s World…
The tradition of the “Truce” or “Ekecheiria” was established in ancient Greece in the 9th century BC by the signature of a treaty between three kings. During the Truce period, the athletes, artists and their families, as well as ordinary pilgrims, could travel in total safety to participate in or attend the Olympic Games and return afterwards to their respective countries. As the opening of the Games approached, the sacred truce was proclaimed and announced by citizens of Elis who travelled throughout Greece to pass on the message.
The International Olympic Committee is established, with the goal of placing sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to encouraging the establishment of a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.
Artist’s rendition of the 100m dash during the first Olympic games. American Thomas Burke (2nd L) won the gold medal with a time of 12 seconds, using a starting technique that was used for many years after until the invention of the starting blocks.
The ?Christmas Truce? was a onetime soccer event during the 1914 christmas cease-fire which brought together mainly British and German soldiers from opposite camps. The photograph commemorates the event as participants wearing fatigue of WWI British and German soldiers pose on December 11, 2014, in Comines-Warneton during the inauguration of a monument to commemorate WWI soldiers of opposite camps who played a game of soccer together during a Christmas cease-fire in 1914
A historic moment during the 1936 Olympic games in Germany. Jesse Owens, an American long-jumper and his biggest rival Carl Ludwig “Lutz” Long, a German long-jumper united through sport in a context that should have pushed them apart. Having already qualified for the finals, Luz Long advised Jesse Owens who was struggling to qualify with one last jump remaining to jump from a spot several inches behind the take-off board so as not to be disqualified for his last jump. Jesse Owens took his advice and qualified. Owens went on and defeated Luz Long in the finals to take the gold. Luz Long and Jesse Owens went on to run a victory lap to the dismay of Hitler.
US athletes Tommie Smith (C) and John Carlos (R) raise their gloved fists in the Black Power salute to express their opposition to racism in the USA during the US national anthem, after receiving their medals 17 October 1968 for first and third place in the men’s 200m event at the Mexico Olympic Games. Sporting role models are here again?a great way to challeng the status quo.
Ping-pong diplomacy was the first time “sport diplomacy” was used and marks the exchange of table tennis (ping-pong) players between the United States and People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the early 1970s during the World Table Tennis Championship. The event marked a thaw in Sino-American relations that paved the way to a visit to Beijing by President Richard Nixon.
The memorial ceremony for the victims of the hostage-taking of Israeli team members by a Palestinian terrorist group of the “Black September” who had stormed the Israeli athletes? quarters, killed two and took nine other members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage. After which a freeing action of the German police forces on the Fuerstenfeldbruck airport near Munich had failed overnight 06 September 1972, leaving all hostages, five of the Palestinian kidnappers and a German policeman dead. The “Munich Massacre” a tragic hostage situation that escalated to further suffering on all sides did not taint the future of the games but strengthened it as truce and organisations started to realise and invest in building a space for peace during such events.
Led by the United States, 65 countries boycotted the games because of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, though some athletes from some of the boycotting countries participated in the games under the Olympic Flag. This prompted the Soviet-led boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics and not in advancing dialogue. It can be understood from this experience that boycotting may raise an issue and make a statement but those who pay the price, the athletes, are not the ones targeted. We need to create dialogue and sport events are a great place, don’t take it out on the athl?tes.
Los Angles, United States Summer Olympics suffer a Soviet boycott 4 years after boycotting?the 1980?Moscow Olympics. Four years on and the negative impact of the boycott live on. AFP PHOTO / ANDREY SMIRNOV
The International Olympic Committee launches an appeal for the observance of the Olympic Truce and relayed it to the United Nations (UN) in order to have a greater impact. Since 1993, the UN General Assembly has repeatedly expressed its support for the IOC by unanimously adopting, every two years (one year before each edition of the Olympic Games), a resolution entitled “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal”. It was additionally negotiated with the United Nations to allow athletes of the Former Republic of Yugoslavia to participate in the Games of the XXIII Olympiad in Barcelona. AFP PHOTO JEFF HAYNES
The 48th Session of the United Nations General Assembly urges Member States to observe the Olympic Truce for the first time and goes on to declare 1994 as the International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal
Olympic Aid came to life as an idea in 1992 but was not concretely founded until 1994. In 2000, Olympic Aid turned into Right To Play under the leadership of four-time Olympic gold medallist and social entrepreneur Johann Olav Koss. Right to play works in using play to teaches children essential life skills that help them overcome the effects of poverty, conflict and disease so they can create better futures and drive lasting social change in their communities and beyond. AFP PHOTO/Roberto SCHMIDT
The Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer allow the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to participate in the XVII Olympic Winter Games despite ongoing wars after coordinated diplomatic efforts.
South Africa?s hosting and winning of the Rugby World Cup was a powerful tool to send a post-apartheid message that racial barriers could be overcome.?
Nelson Mandela addresses his famous speech “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language that they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair…” 5 years after the Rugby World Cup.
Flag bearers Jang Choo Pak (L) of North Korea and Eun-Soon Chung of South Korea carry a special flag with the image of the Korean peninsula, at the head of their joint delegation during the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney 15 September 2000. North and South Korean delegations marched together for the first time at the Sydney games. AFP PHOTO/Jeff HAYNES
Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General appointed Adolf Ogi, former President of the Swiss Confederation as the first ?Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace? in order to more systematically and coherently encourages the use of sport as a means to attain health, education, development and peace objectives. AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI
UN General Assembly Resolution 58/5 proclaimed 2005 as the ?International Year of Sport and Physical Education? (IYSPE 2005). IYSPE 2005 strived to achieve a better understanding of the value of sport and physical education for human development and a more systematic use of sport in development programmes. In this framework, the ?Group of Friends on Sport for Development and Peace? was created. This is an informal intergovernmental platform among Permanent Representatives to the UN in New York aiming to encourage UN Member States and the UN system to integrate sport actively into their policies and strategies. In addition, throughout the year various events took place around the world. Swiss top ranked world tennis player Roger Federer was?ambassador for the International Year of Sport and Physical Education 2005. AFP PHOTO JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT
Founded under the High Patronage of Prince Albert II, Peace and Sport L?Organisation pour la paix par le sport was founded with the aim to use sport as a tool for peace worldwide.
The International?Forum gathers the highest authorities from the worlds of politics, sport, the private sector and civil society, committed to actions for peace through sport. An event for changemakers of sport for peace.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Wilfried Lemke, of Germany, as Adolf Ogi?s successor. The Special Adviser is assisted by the UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) in coordinating the efforts of the UN system to promote understanding and support internationally for sport as a powerful vehicle for positive social change. Amir Dossal (L), executive Director of UNOP, Wilfried Lemke (2ndL), special adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace, Prince Albert II of Monaco and Joel Bouzou (R), president and founder of “Peace and Sport”.? AFP PHOTO/STEPHANE DANNA
The first joint forum between the IOC and the United Nations took place in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. The event, titled ?The Importance of Partnership?, brought together sporting officials and UN representatives in order to leverage the IOC?s recently obtained UN observer status and strengthen cooperation in the field of development through sport.
A?two days cross-border sporting events, that brings together youth from the great lakes region in Africa. Aimed at promoting peace to the future generation by gathering?over 180 young people aged 9-15 from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda in one place to exchange through sport.
Players of Angolan and Malian national football teams take a minute of silence to pay respects to the Togo team casualties at the opening match of African Cup of Nations football championships CAN2010. After a gunman had opened fire on the bus carrying the Togolese national football team to the tournament. AFP PHOTO/JOE KLAMAR
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40 years after ?Ping-Pong Diplomacy? helped to restore diplomatic relations between USA and China during the Cold War, Table Tennis is once again making history by uniting North Korea and South Korea, India and Pakistan through sport thanks to the combined efforts?between Peace and Sport, ITTF and the athletes. |
The UN General Assembly declared the 1st International Day on Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) on April 6. This decision represents a historic step in recognizing the transformative power of sport and its great potential in advancing positive social change. This day is commemorated globally each year by international, regional, national sport and development organizations to honour the role that sport plays in society, whether by encouraging healthier lifestyles, making sport more widely accessible or using it as a vehicle for development in areas made vulnerable by conflict, poverty and inequality.?Everyone can take part by organising or participating in an event or?by taking part in a??social media campaign, holding a #WhiteCard?for peace through sport.
