Vancouver 2010 Olympic Truce
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Truce
Vancouver 2010 aims to pursue the Olympic Truce (www.olympictruce.org) goals of protecting the interests of athletes and contributing to peaceful and diplomatic solutions to conflict around the world. Canadians will be engaged through initiatives that leave lasting legacies in the local, national and international community.
For Canadians, the messages of peace, equality, inclusion and friendship are intrinsic to local and global citizenship. Building on Canada’s long history of promoting peace, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Truce aims to extend the ideals of Olympism through an open invitation to act in the Olympic spirit – mutual understanding in the spirit of friendship, solidarity, and fair play - on creating everyday peace at home, in schools, in the workplace, and in communities in Canada and abroad. The invitation to “Make Your Peace” calls on individuals to reflect and act on the Olympic Truce in their own unique way, resulting in a truce program that can be shared and “owned” by everyone.
As part of commemorating the Olympic Truce, it is the tradition for the Host Country to present a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly calling for a truce during the Olympic Games. It is also tradition for the Organizing Committee to install a truce “wall” in the athletes’ village. As an extension of these program elements, VANOC has a number of initiatives to maximize awareness and engagement in the Olympic Truce, with particular focus on youth.
To support our direct engagement with youth through the Vancouver 2010 Make Your Peace initiatives, VANOC is honoured to have Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada as the Patron of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Truce.
The Olympic Truce – Background
Since its revival in 1992, the Olympic Truce has a demonstrated history of helping to further dialogue and understanding — providing a valuable window of opportunity to work towards the peaceful resolution of conflict. The truce philosophy and values are upheld in the Olympic Charter, and youth around the world have been identified as the primary target audience.
The tradition of the Olympic Truce dates back to the 9th century BC, in Ancient Greece.
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.
Taking into account the global political reality in which sport and the Olympic Games exist, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to revive the ancient concept of the Olympic Truce with the view to protecting, as far as possible, the interests of the athletes and sport in general, and to contribute to searching for peaceful and diplomatic solutions to the conflicts around the world.
Through this global and symbolic concept, the IOC aims to:
• raise awareness and encourage political leaders to act in favour of peace;
• mobilize youth for the promotion of the Olympic ideals;
• establish contacts between communities in conflict;
• offer humanitarian support in countries at war.
Learn more about the Olympic Truce at olympictruce.org
Watch the video: Olympic Truce Northern Outreach Project
