11/19/25 01:17:00
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11/19 13:16 CST UN urges all nations to observe a truce during the Winter
Olympics in Italy
UN urges all nations to observe a truce during the Winter Olympics in Italy
By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS (AP) --- The U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday urged all
nations to observe a truce during the Winter Olympics in Italy, saying a halt
to fighting during one of the world's premiere sporting events can be "a tool
to promote peace, dialogue, tolerance and reconciliation."
The adoption of the resolution by consensus in the 193-nation world body was
greeted with applause from diplomats, the International Olympic Committee and
sports representatives.
The resolution recalled the ancient Greek tradition of ekecheiria, or Olympic
Truce, to encourage a peaceful environment and ensure safe passage and
participation of athletes in the games, "thereby mobilizing the youth of the
world to the cause of peace."
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina and Milan run from Feb. 4 to Feb. 26,
followed by the Paralympics from March 6 to March15.
The General Assembly revived calls for an Olympic Truce in 1993 after an appeal
from the International Olympic Committee allowed athletes of war-torn
Yugoslavia, which was on the brink of breaking up, to participate in the 1992
Summer Games in Barcelona.
Unfortunately, many countries in the past have refused to heed the appeal, and
whether it will have any impact on the major conflicts today remains to be seen.
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry told the assembly
just before the resolution's adoption that in a world where "conflict and
division continue to cause untold suffering" the Olympic Games "can offer a
rare space where people meet not as adversaries but as fellow human beings."
She said the Olympic Truce is "a call to set aside what divides us and rather
to focus on what unites us."
But she stressed that athletes can't do this alone.
She urged all countries "to keep sport and politics apart" and ensure that
athletes are not denied visas for politically motivated reasons. She said
athletes "must not be judged on where they come from, but rather on their
sporting merits."
Italy's Giovanni Malag, president of the organizing committee for the Winter
Olympics, introduced the resolution.
"At a time of growing discord and conflict, sport and the Olympic Games can
provide a beacon of hope, an alternative to rivalry and division," he said.
While the Olympics are founded on competition, Malag said, "throughout their
history they have demonstrated something even more powerful --- a sense of
humanity which transcends even the greatest of athletic achievements."
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