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July 20, 2021
IOC invites Athletes to show Commitment to Building a Peaceful World through Sport at Tokyo 2020 by signing the Olympic Truce Mural.
Photos: Olympic Truce Mural Inauguration. Tokyo, Japan. July 19, 2021. During a visit to the Olympic Village, IOC President Bach signed the Peace Wall ahead of TOKYO 2020 Olympic Games. Images provided by & Copyright © IOC/Greg Martin.
Tokyo, July 19, 2021 - Athletes and officials participating in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be encouraged to show their support for the Olympic Truce by signing the Olympic Truce Mural in the Olympic Village.
The Mural was inaugurated at the Olympic Village Plaza by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo 2020, in the presence of IOC President Thomas Bach, along with the IOC Vice-Presidents, the outgoing members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, Tokyo 2020 Village Mayor KAWABUCHI Saburo, Tokyo 2020 President HASHIMOTO Seiko and the Governor of Tokyo, KOIKE Yuriko.
In his speech, the IOC President said: “Today we are inaugurating the Olympic Truce Mural here at the beating heart of the Olympic Games, the Olympic Village. It is here where the Olympic spirit comes to life. The athletes show us that, despite all our differences, humankind can live together in peace. That is our Olympic message: yes, it is possible to compete with each other, even for the highest prize, but at the same time to live together peacefully under one roof in the Olympic Village.”
Addressing the athletes who are about to compete in Tokyo, President Bach said: “It is in this Olympic spirit that I invite you to leave your signature on the Olympic Truce Mural, to show your commitment to making a better and more peaceful world through sport.”
During the inauguration ceremony, Tokyo 2020 President HASHIMOTO Seiko stressed: “With the arrival of representatives from all over the world in Tokyo, I believe the time of darkness and division caused by the spread of COVID-19 is slowly coming to an end, and a new era of peace and solidarity is beginning. Here in Tokyo, I hope the athletes will add their signature on the Mural, the voice of the Olympic Games for peace all over the world.”
The inauguration of the Olympic Truce Mural took place three days after the Olympic Truce for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 came into effect.
The United Nations has established the Olympic Truce through its resolution entitled “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic Ideal.” The UN passed the resolution unanimously at the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly in 2019. It was co-sponsored by 186 out of 193 UN Member States. It demonstrated the UN’s international community’s recognition of the power of sport and the relevance of the Olympic Games in bringing the world together in peaceful competition. The resolution calls for respecting the Olympic Truce from today to September 12, 2021 - seven days before the start of the Olympic Games until seven days after the Paralympic Games.
Earlier in July, the President of the UN General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, made a solemn appeal to the UN Member States to observe the Olympic Truce for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated that call last week.
The tradition of the Olympic Truce, or “Ekecheiria,” dates back to the 9th century BC in Ancient Greece as a period during which all parties ceased war and conflict to allow for safe travel to and from the ancient Olympic Games. Today, the Olympic Truce represents the IOC’s aim to inspire peace through sport.
Source: International Olympic Committee
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 12:37 PM | Link to this Post
