A DAY OF SPORT FOR PEACE

Posted on 20 June 2012

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The power of sport to unite people in camaraderie has never been more evident than in the Olympics, the biggest sporting event in the world. This July, over 200 countries will gather in London to celebrate the Olympic spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.

The modern Olympics also carries the spirit of peace through the Olympic Truce, which builds on the ancient Olympic tradition of Ekecheiria that calls for a truce during the Olympic Games to encourage a peaceful environment and ensure safe passage and participation of athletes and relevant persons at the Games.

In the run-up to the 2012 Games, Olympic Truce events have been taking place across the globe. The British Embassy Manila joined this celebration by holding a football invitational tournament dubbed “Time Out for Football”. The event was held on 19 June at the Joaquin Enriquez Sports Complex in Zamboanga City. 120 players representing stakeholders of lasting peace demonstrated the power of sport as a tool for peace. Members of civil society, government, the security sector and the diplomatic community played in the symbolic match, underscoring the need for all sectors of society to make a team effort to contribute to peace building.

“I firmly believe that today’s games show how sport can bring people together, and that it can teach people the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect. With excellence, friendship and respect, we can transcend discord, disunity and animosity,” said British Ambassador Stephen Lillie. “I hope that this event is only the first of many more occasions where sport is used to promote an inclusive and lasting peace in the country.”

Ambassador Lillie acknowledged that here in the Philippines, as in other parts of the world, conflict has had a devastating impact on the lives of thousands of innocent people. “So I admire greatly the perseverance of all those who strive to solve long-standing conflicts and build peace in Mindanao and elsewhere in the country. The UK is honoured to play a small part in this national project, both as a member of the International Contact Group for the peace talks between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and as a friend and partner of the Philippines, sharing the lessons and insights from our own peace process in Northern Ireland,” he said.

“I am optimistic that a peace agreement that truly represents the interests of the Bangsamoro and the wider community in Mindanao and across the Philippines is within sight. The time is right for a lasting and just peace, that will benefit the development of the whole country. I know that ordinary people in Mindanao and Sulu are also willing to do their part to achieve peace, despite the difficulties involved. I see NGOs and local communities positively engaged in building understanding through inter-faith dialogue. I see local and national policy makers voicing their views and working hard to find solutions to the difficult issues that will spell the difference in achieving a truly lasting peace in the southern Philippines,” he concluded.

The match dovetailed a football clinic hosted by the British Embassy and the Zamboanga City Government in cooperation with the Zamboanga Football Association. Around 100 school children participated in the activity. They come from different backgrounds – a mix of different faiths, cultures and ethnicity – to reflect diversity and inclusion, values at the heart of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Note to Editors:

Photos attached, with the following caption:
(Truce 1.jpg) (Truce 2.jpg) (Truce 3.jpg) About 100 school children participated in a football clinic hosted by the British Embassy and the Zamboanga City Government, in cooperation with the Zamboanga Football Association. The clinic was conducted on 16 and 17 June at the Joaquin Enriquez Sports Complex in Zamboanga City. This activity is part of a series of events dubbed “Time Out for Football” that celebrates the Olympic Truce. The Truce builds on the ancient Olympic tradition of Ekecheiria that calls for a truce during the Olympic Games to encourage a peaceful environment and ensure safe passage and participation of athletes and relevant persons at the Games. The participants came from different backgrounds – a mix of different faiths, cultures and ethnicity – to reflect diversity and inclusion, values at the heart of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The football exhibition games were between mixed teams from: Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, International Monitoring Team, Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, Zamboanga City Government, Non-governmental organisation engaged in peace-building, student athletes and the Embassies of Australia, Norway, U delegation, Malaysia and the US.
The football clinic for young athletes aged 12-14 were from public and private Catholic and Islamic schools in Zamboanga City.
The UN Resolution on the Olympic Truce was inspired by the ancient 9th Century BC Greek tradition of Ekecheiria (“Olympic Truce”), which calls for a truce during the Olympic Games to encourage a peaceful environment and ensure safe passage and participation of athletes and relevant persons at the Games, thus mobilising the youth of the world in support of peace. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) revived the Truce in 1992 and the first United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution was passed.
The United Kingdom sponsored the record breaking UN Resolution on the Olympic Truce entitled “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal” for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games. In an unprecedented show of support, all 193 UN Member States co-sponsored the Resolution at the UN in New York, signing up to the ideals of peace and conflict resolution and the premise that individuals, not countries, compete against each other in sport in peaceful competition without the burden of politics, religion, or racism.
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