News Focus: UN and Olympics

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Carrying the Olympic Torch in the final leg journey in the UK and attending the Opening Ceremony are among the highlights of the Secretary-General’s activities in London.

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The United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), provides the entry point to the United Nations system with regard to Sport for Development and Peace, bringing the worlds of sport and development closer together. The Office assists the Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace in his worldwide activities as an advocate, facilitator and representative of sports’ social impact in a development context.

The Olympic Truce, or ekecheria, is based on an ancient Greek tradition, dating back to the ninth century B.C. All conflicts ceased during the period of the Truce, which began seven days prior to the opening of the Olympic Games and ended on the seventh day following the closing of the Games, so that athletes, artists, their relatives and pilgrims could travel safely to the Olympic Games and afterwards return to their countries.

The UN system has been using sport in development cooperation for years. As early as 1922, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the UN International Labour Organisation (ILO) established institutional cooperation which was later reinforced through further partnerships with other UN system partners.

UN System Organisations using sport