The President of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Volkan Bozkir has appealed for the Olympic Truce to be observed throughout the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
The Olympic Truce dates back more than 3,000 years to the first Ancient Olympics in Greece, with the aim of the truce to ensure a halt to any hostilities in order to allow the safe passage and participation of athletes at the Olympics and Paralympics.
The Olympic Truce resolution for Tokyo 2020 was adopted at the UN General Assembly in December 2019, and is entitled "building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal".
It was adopted unanimously without a vote and was co-sponsored by 186 of the 193 UN member states.
"The Olympic Movement aspires to contribute to a peaceful future for all humankind through the educational value of sport, in particular youth," said Bozkir during the appeal.
"The Games will bring together athletes from all parts of the world in the greatest of international sports events as a means to promote peace, mutual understanding and goodwill among nations and peoples - goals that are also part of the founding values of the United Nations.
"For the second time, the IOC Refugee Olympic Team will participate under the Olympic flag in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, acting as a powerful symbol of inclusion and our shared humanity.
"As an expression of these common objectives, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to fly the United Nations flag at Olympic Park.
"The United Nations system and the International Olympic Committee have strengthened their mutual cooperation and support through joint endeavours in such fields as human development, poverty alleviation, humanitarian assistance, health promotion, HIV and AIDS prevention, child and youth education, gender equality, peacebuilding and sustainable development.
"I welcome the leadership of Olympic and Paralympic athletes in promoting peace and human understanding through sport and the Olympic ideal, and the commitment made by various states members of the United Nations to developing national and international programmes that promote peace and conflict resolution and the Olympic and Paralympic values through sport and through culture, education and sustainable development.
"As President of the General Assembly at its seventy-fifth Session, I solemnly appeal to all member states to demonstrate their commitment to the Olympic Truce for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 and to undertake concrete actions at the local, national, regional and world levels to promote and strengthen a culture of peace and harmony based on the spirit of the Truce.
"Referring to the original tradition of the Olympic Truce practised in ancient times, I also call upon all warring parties of current armed conflicts around the world to boldly agree to true mutual ceasefires for the duration of the Olympic Truce, thus providing an opportunity to settle disputes peacefully".
IOC President Thomas Bach added: "The Olympic Games are the only event today that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition.
"This is why we are so grateful to the UN member states for their support of the Olympic Truce resolution.
"With this resolution, they are supporting the values and principles that unite us. In this Olympic spirit of universality, solidarity and peace, I invite you all to join hands and to celebrate our unity in all our diversity at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and beyond.
"Let us demonstrate together that our shared humanity is stronger than all the forces that want to divide us".
The resolution calls for the Olympic Truce to be respected from July 16, seven days before the scheduled start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, until September 12, seven days after the scheduled end of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Source: https://www.insidethegames.biz
