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Olympic Truce

What is the 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.

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 on the London 2012 website. Find out more about what happened in New York 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 is "walking 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. LOCOG has approved a number of projects including: a project led by the University of Ulster which uses sport to support conflict resolution across the education sector; a project providing 200 schools with the opportunity to debate the theme of the Olympic Truce at a Model UN conference; and a project which uses sport to bring together young people from London communities affected by gang rivalry.
  • 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.

The FCO with partners 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. We are 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.

The FCO’s Olympic Truce activities include a football match hosted by the British High Commission in Barbados with the Pinelands Creative Workshop, a local NGO, to build trust between rival gangs in an underprivileged area to combat crime.  The match brought together players for the first time in an environment free of violence. Those taking part would not normally stray into each others’ areas or meet, for fear of attack and injury.

The British Embassy in Quito is sponsoring a number of projects to raise awareness to the importance of child rights in Ecuador.  The project aims to support children’s participation in society to reduce the chances of children turning to violence.

Further Olympic Truce activities happening around the world can be viewed on our Storify.

Working in partnership with NGOs

FCO Minister with responsibility for Conflict Issues Mr Bellingham met Jeremy Gilley of Peace One Day in September to discuss the Olympic Truce. The FCO holds regular stakeholder meetings with NGOs. These include:

Speaking about the FCO's work on the Olympic Truce, Foreign Office Minister Henry Bellingham said: "As the Minister with responsibility for Conflict Issues, I am delighted to introduce the FCO's Olympic Truce activities.

"Our staff in the UK and Missions across the world will undertake activities and events to promote the ideals of peace and conflict resolution ahead of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"We want to make the most of this historic opportunity and work with other governments, the United Nations, the International Olympic Committee, National Olympic Committees, the International Paralympic Committee, National Paralympic Committees, NGOs and civil society to promote the principles and ideals of the Olympic Truce."

Olympic Truce around the world

Olympic stadium by dusk

Find out how the FCO & partners are marking the Olympic Truce at our British Embassies, High Commissions and Missions abroad