Thomas Bach opened the 144th IOC Session on Tuesday afternoon at the International Olympic Academy. In his speech, the organization's president wished to recall the importance of Olympic values in the current context. “The Olympic Games and the values they represent have endured for millennia. Yet, the history of humanity also reminds us that they remain no less fragile, did he declare. The ancient Olympic Games ended when political and commercial interests took over, pushing aside the values of sport. For centuries, the Olympic Games sank into oblivion. It took almost 2.000 years for Pierre de Coubertin to reinstate the Olympic Games. (…) Pierre de Coubertin had succeeded in setting up Olympic Games bringing together athletes from nations considered sworn enemies politically. Then as now, athletes were ambassadors of peace. Then as now, the idea of promote peace through sport contrasted sharply with the spirit of the times."
These remarks obviously resonate with current international events, marked by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the war in Ukraine. “As guardians of these Games, it is our duty to unite around these values, recalls Thomas Bach. Recently, the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games brought these values to life spectacularly. It was only because we remained true to these values that we were able to bring together, in Paris, athletes from the territories of 206 NOCs and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, despite geopolitical tensions and dissensions. (…) They showed us what the world would look like if we were all inhabited by the same Olympic spirit of peaceful coexistence » Greek President Constantine Tassoulas, EOC President Spyros Capralos, and Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) President Isidoros Kouvelos also spoke at the ceremony.
