With the start of the summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, in which gender equality and the Olympic refugee team will make history, the Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, called this Friday for global respect for the Olympic Truce, a custom that consists of stopping all hostilities from before to after the sporting event.
In November, the General Assembly The UN approved a vote to observe the truce during the Games in Paris.
“At a time like this it is important to say that the first real peace initiative in history was the Olympic Truce,” Guterres declared during a meeting with the press in the French capital with the president of the International Olympic Committee. (IOC), Thomas Bach.
“With the start of the Olympic Games, it is time to remind the world of the importance of the Olympic Truce and to make the world understand that we must silence the guns,” he added.
The UN leader pointed out numerous current conflict points, such as Gaza, Sudan or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among others. He stated that the Olympic Games symbolize “cooperation and fair competition, rather than division and conflict.” Therefore, he encouraged countries to foster unity in the same way that athletes do during these games.
Guterres will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games today.
Olympic refugee team
For his part, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, encouraged all countries in the world to promote “peaceful coexistence and mutual respect,” as the refugee teams competing in the games are doing.
"Sport is a symbol of hope and peace, which are unfortunately scarce in our world today,” declared Grandi.
“The refugee team is a beacon for people around the world. These athletes demonstrate what can be achieved when talent is recognized and developed, and when people have the opportunity to train and compete alongside the best. They are quite an inspiration,” she added.
The Paris 2024 Refugee Olympic Team at the Palace of Congress in the French capital.
This year's team is made up of 37 athletes, the largest since the 2016 Rio Games, when the refugee teams debuted.
On Tuesday, the IOC announced that Grandi would be the third recipient of the Olympic Laurel, an award created to “honor outstanding individuals for their achievements in education, culture, development and peace through sport.”
Grandi will receive the recognition during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
Making history
UN Women highlighted that the 2024 Olympic Games will be the first in history in which the same number of male and female athletes compete.
“This 50:50 representation of athletes makes the Summer Games the first to achieve gender equality,” UN Women stated.
The organization noted that the Paris Games will guarantee more balanced coverage of sports events, creating a “focus of attention” for all athletes.
However, UN Women admits that many gender gaps remain in sporting events and says progress does not stop with gender balance among competitors at the Olympic Games.