A resolution of the United Nations General Assembly called for a ceasefire in 2023 in the ongoing conflicts on the occasion of the Olympic Games. Putin did not rule it out. ‘Euronews’ speaks with the International Olympic Committee, historians and experts about this possibility.
It happened every time the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece: the wars stopped. The Armies of the different opposing ‘polises’ stopped their activity so that The athletes could arrive safely to the valley of Olympiawhere the competition in honor of Zeus took place.
Currently there eight active wars in the world, among them Ukraine and Gaza; but the possibility of a truce like those made in classical Greece seems remote, although even Putin talked about it with Xi Jinping during his visit to China and, as he himself said, “few countries tend to respect it,” so it doesn’t seem to be open to stop the ongoing conflict in Ukrainealthough he has not ruled out the option either.
‘Ekecheira’ in Greek etymology
However, the reality is that this truce or ‘ekecheira’ in Greek etymologywas generally respected in ancient times. United Nations He has tried on several occasions to resume that tradition, although not always successfully.
For the celebration of this year’s Olympic Gamesthe General Assembly adopted a resolution on November 21, 2023 urging countries with conflicts to a ceasefire while the competition was going on.
Even the president of the International Olympic Committee asked the participating nations to “adopt the resolution based on the Olympic spirit and defend the noble truce” during a speech that concluded by pleading with the UN: “Please let us give a chance at peace“.
Regarding the possibility that the war in Ukraine stops, from the Olympic Committee they recognize that it is remote. After being consulted by ‘Euronews’, members of the organization assure that “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine occurred during the 2022 Winter Gameswhich already constituted in its day a violation of the Olympic truce”. With this background on the table, it does not seem that Putin is going to respect this summer’s.
When have there been Olympic truces?
2023 has not been the only occasion on which the United Nations has urged countries to put weapons aside in favor of peace and sport. The professor in Ancient History at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Adolfo Jerónimo Domínguez, reminds this medium that in 1993 “the UN returned to the concept of the Olympic truce and urged the States to start it seven days before the inauguration and they would maintain it until seven days had passed since the closure.”
“We have seen that The modern world does not always respect the truce. When attempts have been made to comply, there has also been a negative aspect, which is that of boycotts; States that for whatever reason do not agree with this ideal and break it,” adds the expert.
Was the Olympic Truce respected in ancient times?
This circumstance is not exclusive to the current time, although it seems that in ancient times they had more respect for the decision to stop conflicts. The head of Cultural Affairs at the Greek Embassy in Spain, Yioula Salesiotou, explains to ‘Euronews’ that the truce, “despite not being mandatory, It broke only twice. in the 1,200 years of celebration of the Games”.
The Greeks maintained their confrontations only “in the year 420 BC, when Sparta attacked Lepreus (city of Elis), and in 362 BC, when the Elis fought against Pisa (kingdom of Elis) in sacred territory“adds Salesiotou.
The Olympic Games were a religious and sacred celebration
There is a reason that led this civilization to respect so much the Stop the fire: the Olympic Games were a religious and sacred celebration. As the person in charge of Cultural Affairs explains, “it was the oldest religious festival in honor of the god Zeusthe father of the gods.”
The divine aspect of these competitions is well known to historians. “They were part of a ritual, a religious ritual, we must not forget that Olympia, along with Delphi, were sanctuaries. One in honor of Zeus and another in honor of Apollo“, explains Francisco Javier Gómez, professor of Ancient History at the University of Alcalá.
The competition itself was considered “a religious and sacred ceremony, if a truce is broken and the pilgrims who were actually going to worship Zeus through the Games are attacked, The attackers could expect punishment from the gods“, Add.
However, the hostilities between the polis in conflict followed and only “the safe passage of athletes and spectators through their territories” says Yioula Salesiotou, to allow all of them to honor their gods. “The truce referred to the protection of the right of movement of athletes and spectators,” she adds.
Now, at a time when communications were complicated and the distances were very great, there was a whole protocol to announce the start of the Olympic Games and, in turn, the armistice. For it, The role of the ambassadors was fundamental. “They were sacred and had that kind of immunity to proclaim the truce,” Francisco Javier Gómez explains to us.
Adolfo Jerónimo Domínguez details that these senior diplomats of antiquity were completely identified. They carried carts and banners so that everyone would know that they were sacred ambassadors, but still there were areas where they could attack them, we know cases of kidnappings to these people in exchange for ransoms.
What were the Olympic Games like in ancient times?
However, the Olympic Games were mostly respected for the glory of their own gods and the athletes were “the great national heroes, their victories were individual, but immediately the ‘polis’ assumed them as an element of prestige because having many Olympic winners was a very important factso much so that sometimes they gave them the right to be fed with a public charge throughout their lives, they made monuments for them and sang songs to them,” adds the professor.
Sport, for the Greeks, It was much more than a physical activity, which is why winning in these competitions was so important. The person in charge of Cultural Affairs at the Greek embassy in Spain agrees that sport was “a key element for political life through which they instilled in young people faith in their country and in the gods as well as a feeling of belonging and respect for their elders”.
ADVERTISING“Young people, through competitions, They were preparing for imminent military service, war and, of course, the life of the citizen in general,” he adds. And for this reason, sporting triumph was also associated, says Francisco Javier Gómez, “with the prestige and glory of each city.”
The historian emphasizes that the Olympic truce “is the legacy that we must have from the ancient world and the Greeks.” However, in view of recent events it seems that this pacifist tradition in honor of the gods is far from being respected this year in which, if everything continues as before, the attacks will not stop in favor of peace and sport.
