Campaing in Support of the Olympic Truce

Campaign in Support of the
Olympic Truce
With the occasion of the 2014 Winter Olympics of Sochi, a global
campaign in support of the Olympic Truce was implemented by Goals
for Peace International. Working conjunctly with community
organizations, universities, sport federations and governmental
agencies from Colombia, England, Mexico and the Philippines the
campaign aimed at raising awareness on the importance of adopting
the Olympic Truce, especially in regions affected by conflict and
violence.
This international campaign sought to involve relevant actors in the
sport and peace worlds as well as the community at large to use the
Olympic Games and the Olympic Truce as platforms to contribute to the
creation of more harmonious communities.
Activities implemented in the selected locations incorporated reading
the Statement in Support of the Olympic Truce (please see below) and
the conduction of sport festivals.
In Colombia and Mexico, SDP NGOs organized and implemented the
activities in February of 2014.
In the UK the implementation of the Olympic Truce coincided with the
celebration of the 40-year anniversary of the Peace Studies Centre at
Bradford University. The Truce was then celebrated within the
framework of the activities carried out at Bradford University.
In The Philippines the Olympic Truce event was celebrated between
February 8th and 13th, 2014 with the support of the Dumaguete-Negros
Oriental Badminton Club and the local government of the City of
Dumaguete. Manolito Saldivar, a Filipino sport celebrity and peace
advocate coordinated and implemented the Campaign which was
participated by more than 400 athletes, coaches and officials from
primary and secondary schools from the 18 Divisions of Central Visayas
(a region in the Philippines) namely, Bais City, Bayawan City, Bogo
City, Cebu City, Danao City, Dumaguete City,Naga City, Talisay City,
Tanjay City, Lapulapu City, Mandaue City, Guihulngan City, Carcar City,
Tagbilaran City, Toledo City, Negros Oriental Province, Cebu Province,
and Bohol Province.
Statement in support for the Olympic Truce
The Olympic Truce was established in Greece in the 9th Century
BC with the intention of stopping armed conflict and war during the
celebration of the Olympic Games. The Olympic Truce allowed
athletes, spectators, artists and their families to travel to the
Olympic Games and return to their places of origin in total safety
and is in fact, the first documented use of sport in human history to
serve as an agent of peace.
After remaining inactive for centuries, the family of nations and the
family of sport have come together to revive the idea of the
Olympic Truce acknowledging the potential contributions of sport
to build more peaceful and more equitable societies.
Nowadays the Olympic Truce embodies a call for communities
worldwide to do anything in their capacity to stop any violent
actions, war and conflicts, specifically during the celebration of the
Summer and Winter Olympic Games. It is with great honor and
enthusiasm that we respond to this call today joining other
initiatives across the planet that believe in the symbolic and
practical capacity of sport to positively transform our communities.
While recognizing that sport is not a solution to cure all the world’s
most pressing issues, we acknowledge and celebrate the
remarkable potential of sport to bring people together, to establish
friendships, to entertain and to inspire. We here today, as
individuals and as a community, honor the idea of the Olympic
Truce.
Alexander Cárdenas, PhD
Consultant, reseacher and practitioner SDP and Olympism
Founder program Goals for Peace International
Declaración de Apoyo a la Tregua Olímpica
La Tregua Olímpica se estableció en Grecia en el siglo noveno
antes de Cristo con la intención de detener el conflicto armado y la
guerra durante la celebración de los Juegos Olímpicos. La Tregua
Olímpica permitía a los atletas, espectadores, artistas y a sus
familias viajar a los Juegos Olímpicos y regresar a sus lugares de
origen en condiciones de total seguridad, y representa el primer
uso documentado del deporte en la historia de la humanidad para
servir como un agente de paz.
Después de permanecer inactiva durante siglos, la familia de las
naciones y la familia del deporte se han unido para revivir la idea
de la Tregua Olímpica al reconocer las potenciales contribuciones
del deporte en la construcción de sociedades más pacíficas y más
equitativas. Hoy en día, la Tregua Olímpica simboliza un llamado a
las naciones y comunidades en todo el mundo para hacer todo lo
que esté a nuestro alcance para detener cualquier acción violenta,
la guerra y los conflictos, específicamente durante la celebración
de los Juegos Olímpicos de invierno y de verano. Es con gran
honor y entusiasmo que hoy respondemos a este llamado,
uniéndonos a otras iniciativas en todo el planeta que validan la
capacidad simbólica y práctica del deporte para transformar
positivamente nuestras comunidades.
Si bien entendemos que el deporte no es una solución para aliviar
los problemas más acuciantes del mundo, reconocemos y
celebramos el notable potencial del deporte para unir a las
personas, para establecer amistades, para entretener y para
inspirar. Como individuos y como comunidad, honramos el noble
ideal de la Tregua Olímpica.
Alexander Cárdenas, PhD
Consultor e investigador Deporte para el Desarollo y la Paz y Olimpismo
Fundador programa Goals for Peace International