IOC Seminar on Sport and Peace: IOC Seminar on Sport and Peace Intercontinental Hotel Aqaba, Jordan 12-14th June 2007


Slide2: Welcome!


Slide3: Session 1 – INTRODUCTION


Session 1 – INTRODUCTION: Session 1 – INTRODUCTION Welcome Remarks HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein President, Jordan Olympic Committee Mr Habib Macki Vice President, Olympic Council of Asia Mr Toni Khoury IOC Member, Lebanon


Slide5: Session 2 – ROLE OF THE IOC IN SPORT AND PEACE


Session 2 – ROLE OF THE IOC IN SPORT AND PEACE : Session 2 – ROLE OF THE IOC IN SPORT AND PEACE Olympic Truce – Myth or Reality? Speaker:Dr Evangelos Syrigos Director of the International Olympic Truce Centre Facilitator: Mr Jon Tibbs


Slide9: Olympic Truce Background-Philosophy and History


Slide11: The Games, first held in 776BC, were created in order to act as a Truce to bring a temporary halt to the fighting between ancient Greece’s warring city-states. . Executive Summary


Slide12: The ancient Greek King Iphitos asked the oracle of Delphi for advice on how to end the wars that were plunging his kingdom and the broader Peloponnese area into chaos. The oracle advised him to organise an athletic contest in ancient Olympia, to occur every four years, and to proclaim a Truce for the duration of the Games. A. The Background


Slide13: The first recorded Olympic Games were held in 776BC. We know that the ancient Truce ensured the survival of the Games by guaranteeing the safe journey of athletes, judges, artists and spectators to and from Olympia and their peaceful participation in the Games. A. The Background


Slide14: The ancient Olympic Games were designed with peace in mind, to act as a broker for differences between those at war with one another. A. The Background


Slide15: Messengers – or spondoforoi – gathered in Olympia to be briefed on their mission to spread the word throughout the city-states. By 776BC, a treaty has been signed According to the treaty the area surrounding Olympia – was proclaimed as sacred and invincible ground and decreed the cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Olympic Games. A. The Background


Slide16: The observance of Olympic Truce for 1200 years renders it as the most important principle of customary law respecting peace in the ancient world A. The Background


Slide17: B. The revival of Olympic Truce in Modern Olympic Games A. The Background


Slide18: Messengers – or spondoforoi – gathered in Olympia to be briefed on their mission to spread the word throughout the city-states. By 776BC, a treaty has been signed According to the treaty the area surrounding Olympia – was proclaimed as sacred and invincible ground and decreed the cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Olympic Games. A. The Background


Slide19: In 1993, the IOC launched an appeal for an Olympic Truce at the 1994 Games, which was endorsed by 184 Olympic committees and presented to the Secretary-General of the UN. A. The Background


Slide20: In 1994, the then president of the IOC, Juan Antonio Samaranch, had experienced the Truce in action while leading an IOC delegation to the war-torn city of Sarajevo during the Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer. This high-profile visit not only focused the eyes of the world on the Balkan conflict, but also provided a break in the fighting, thus allowing humanitarian relief to be delivered to the besieged population of the city. A. The Background


Slide21: President Samaranch wrote to the heads of state in 1994 to encourage the observance of the Olympic Truce during the XVII Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. A. The Background


Slide22: the Sudanese NOC succeeded in obtaining a ceasefire in the war between the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army and the government the armed conflict in Georgia with Abkhazia was suspended a General Assembly vote during the Games encouraged a ceasefire arrangement to permit the supply of humanitarian aid to populations in Bosnia. It has been estimated that this allowed 10,000 children to be inoculated in just one day. A. The Background


Slide23: During the subsequent Olympic Games in Sydney and Athens a public audience of 3,7 billion people, saw perhaps the most public display of the power of the Truce yet, when athletes from North and South Korea marched together under one flag at the Opening Ceremony of the Games, reflecting their hopes of a peaceful and unified peninsula A. The Background


Slide24: C. The future of the Olympic Truce A. The Background


Slide25: The Olympic Truce has the potential to play two key roles. Firstly, its application over the past decade has demonstrated its capacity to deliver practical results on the ground –from the delivery of humanitarian relief to the facilitation of dialogue between bitter rivals. A. The Background


Slide26: The Olympic Truce has the potential to play two key roles: Firstly, its application over the past decade has demonstrated its capacity to deliver practical results on the ground –from the delivery of humanitarian relief to the facilitation of dialogue between bitter rivals. A. The Background


Slide27: Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, at a time of growing crises of confidence in political institutions, the Olympic Truce reminds us of the power of idealism, and has the capacity to inspire a new generation and its leaders to make small but constant steps towards peace. The Olympic Truce is a peace-inspiring tool for our age. A. The Background


Slide29: Coffee Break


Slide30: Session 3 – CAN SPORT BUILD PEACE?


Session 3 – CAN SPORT BUILD PEACE?: Session 3 – CAN SPORT BUILD PEACE? Debate: Can sport really build peace? Panel: HRH Prince Feisal (President, Jordan NOC) Mr Tomas Sithole (IOC Dir. of Int. Coop.& Dev.) Dr Evangelos Syrigos (Dir. Int. Olympic Truce Centre) Mr Toni Khoury (IOC Member, Lebanon) Major General Mounir Sabet (IOC Member, Egypt) Facilitator: Mr Jon Tibbs


Slide32: Session 4 – GLOBAL DIMENSION OF SPORT & PEACE


Session 4 – GLOBAL DIMENSION OF SPORT & PEACE: Session 4 – GLOBAL DIMENSION OF SPORT & PEACE Speaker: Dr Richard Guilanotti Professor at Durham University Moderator: Mr Jon Tibbs


Sport and Peace: Sport and Peace Prof. Dr. Richard Giulianotti Durham University, UK richard.giulianotti@durham.ac.uk


Magglingen - Context: Magglingen - Context Key moment in sport/peace interface Major international conference (2003) – recommendations submitted to UN Lead authors of section on ‘Sport, Peace and Crisis Situations’ Relevant themes at that time: Global instability/disorder – inequalities, tensions, dangers Evidence of sport’s peaceful universalism being ‘corrupted’ e.g. hooliganism, racism Growing ties of sport federations, NGOs, governmental organizations, led by Olympic movement e.g. IOC and UNHCR Our preliminary research and other evidence – sport-related work in different contexts


Magglingen : Magglingen We recommended Expand sport programmes in conflict zones to promote rehabilitation and reconciliation Dialogue between donors and recipients of aid Reflect on role of sports bodies and NGOs in promoting internationalism Relevant agencies to pilot projects, explore sustainability, clarify long-term ownership Expand ties between NGOs and sport federations Require direct strategies to alleviate poverty, famine, war, forced migration Afterwards: greater role for sport in NGOs/IGOs e.g. UN 2005 Year of Sport and Physical Education; Beijing Declaration, etc.


Possibilities of Sport re Peace: Possibilities of Sport re Peace Global culture Personal/group creativity, self-expression Social contact Playful/competitive, rule-governed context Facilitate practical making/enforcing of rules Universalist messages


Project Achievements: OFFS: Project Achievements: OFFS Established in former Yugoslavia after Civil War – 200,000 dead, 2 million refugees, football flashpoint Different ethnic groups divided – huge tensions 1998-2003: OFFS - 48,000 children participate, 400 local leaders and coaches Focus on ‘fun’; ‘sport for all’; emphasis on individual skills, team-work; less focus on tactics/endurance Context: children affected by war; much segregation – so thaw psycho-social freeze between communities Coaches – local, many ex-combatants – so required intensive training, all multi-ethnic Games and events emphasize multi-ethnic participation; teams and groups all mixed Symbolize to parents/community possibilities of peaceful, normal social contact Importance of sustained work/contribution


Some Other Initiatives: Some Other Initiatives Sierra Leone: War-torn region; many brutalized child soldiers Resocialization processes through sport Young males seek status/authority through sport skill and achievement Role of referee North/South Korea: Intensively militarized area, very strong tensions Sport contacts break ice, advance common ‘Korean’ identity


Other Initiatives: Other Initiatives UK: Northern Ireland – Catholics v Protestants – history of cross-community sports clubs e.g. boxing, football England – ‘delinquent’ young people – community work promotes football, but also ‘low octane’/peaceful pastimes e.g. fishing Women in Sport: Key grassroots measures to facilitate women’s participation Jordan – hosting of major IOC conference, ‘Women and Sport’, March 2008 Can also move into dance, music, other realms of physical culture


Sport/Peace: Concluding Comments: Sport/Peace: Concluding Comments Key role of intermediaries e.g. coaches, referees, youth workers Fit projects to local contexts and needs Dialogue with ‘clients’ – don’t impose Need to evaluate projects – reflective practice Sustain projects over longer-term Big Picture: New age re sport’s global meaning – universalism in global era Global sport is at centre of emerging ‘global civil society’ Restore higher purpose of sport Huge opportunity for nations, NGOs, sport bodies, to lead the way


Slide42: Lunch


Slide43: Session 5 – NEED FOR INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR PEACE


Session 5 – NEED FOR INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR PEACE: Session 5 – NEED FOR INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR PEACE Panel: HRH Prince Feisal (President, Jordan NOC) General Souhail Khoury (President, Lebanon NOC) Dr Atef Odibat (President, Higher Council for Youth, Jordan) Dr Tiras Odisho (Director General, Iraq NOC) Dr Richard Guilanotti (Professor at Durham University) Dr Abu Eisher Anwar (President, Sport For All Federation, Palestine) Moderator: Mr Jon Tibbs


Slide45: Free time / networking opportunity


Evening Programme : 17:00 – 18:30 Buses Depart to Wadi Rum (dress code: casual wear and comfortable shoes) 18:30 – 19:30 Visit museum and watch sunset 19:30 – 19:45 Transport to camp for dinner 20:00 – 21:30 Dinner hosted by HRH Prince Feisal 21:30 – 23:00 Transport from Wadi Rum to Aqaba Evening Programme