The 2012 London Olympics has finally arrived. Close to 10,000 athletes from 204 countries have assembled to compete for glory. While the Olympics is a sporting event and has nothing to do with political or national agendas and the global challenges we are faced with, yet the significance of the world coming together in a platform as big as, if not bigger than, the United Nations is something that we should not ignore—whether the athletes or the official representatives from the respective countries. And unlike the UN Security Council or General Assembly gatherings or global summit meetings of political leaders tackling a diverse range of issues—climate change, terrorism, poverty or war—the Olympics is a gathering of the human spirit, of people, who despite geography, religion, identity, conflict etc, have come together in peace, mutual respect and understanding. This is what sets apart the Olympics from any other event. In fact it is told that in ancient times when the Olympic Games were on, all conflicts among the participating city-states were postponed until the games were finished. Perhaps we need to emulate this even today given that the world continues to be faced with wars and conflicts. For the record, the United Nations adopted the Olympic Truce Resolution for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games by consensus of the 192 UN member states. The modern Olympic truce commemorates the one observed during the games in ancient Greece. The truce encourages a peaceful environment and safe passage for Games athletes, and serves to mobilize the youth of the world in the cause of peace.
In fact ‘Olympic Spirit’ is an officially sanctioned programme of the International Olympic Committee. The mission of Olympic Spirit is "to build a peaceful and better world in the Olympic Spirit which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. Further Olympic Spirit strives to inspire and motivate the youth of the world and to instill and develop the values and ideals of Olympism in those who visit and to promote tolerance and understanding in these increasingly troubled time in which we live, to make our world a more peaceful place." What the thousands of people gathered at the Olympics can perhaps do is to promote friendship and amity with one another. The Olympics is an opportunity to repair broken bridges or relationship between people of different countries. This is a time to remind ourselves of the common humanity that we all share. The world has become a truly global village—interconnected and wired to the same prospects or challenges. In essence we are no more independent. Take the case of war, terrorism, the economic downturn or climate change. This may emanate in one or two countries but the consequences will have to be faced collectively. This is the world of the 21st century. Science, economic, politics etc. have placed tremendous power in our hands and countries must learn to live in peace with one another if they are to live at all. The Olympic Games should resonate with this spirit of Live and Let Live and of “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideals”.
