UN Secretary-General António Guterres today issued a call for peace in a video message broadcast to the 142nd International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Paris, which also acknowledged the common mission of the Olympic Movement and the United Nations.
In the message, which published by the IOC’s website today and will be broadcast at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the UN Secretary-General acknowledged the power of sport ‘To bring hope. To transcend cultures. To unite people. To promote mutual respect and fair play’. He noted that these ideals, which are at the heart of the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games, are ‘also the ideals of the United Nations’.
Delivering his appeal, the Secretary-General said: ‘In the spirit of the Olympic Truce, I call on everyone to lay down their arms. Build bridges. Foster solidarity. And strive for the ultimate goal: peace for all.’
He concluded his message with a tribute to the athletes set to compete at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris
2024, wishing them every success and saying: ‘you inspire us to dream bigger’.
Source: Emirates News Agency