Adetunji Adeniran (Nigeria) on Olympic Values That Promote Peace

August 30, 2012

The ancient Olympic Games which were held in Olympia, Greece from the eighth century BC to the fourth century AD are now regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition in which more than 200 nations participate. The Games are held every two years with, both winter and summer games.
The Olympic Movement encompasses a large number of national and international organizations and sport federations, recognized media partners, as well as athletes, officials, judges, and every other person and institution that agrees to abide by the rules of the Olympic Charter.

The International Olympic Committee, as the umbrella body, is responsible for selecting the host city, overseeing the planning of the Olympic Games, updating and approving the sports programs and negotiating sponsorship and broadcasting rights. The International Federations are the governing bodies that supervise a sport at international level while the National Olympic Committees (204 in number) represent and regulate the Olympic Movement within each country.

Olympic Movement
The main goal of the Olympic Movement and values are to promote peace throughout the world through sport. And the three core values of the Olympic values are excellence, friendship, and respect.

Excellence: This value stands for one’s best, on the field of play or in the professional arena. It is not only about wining, but also about participating, making progress against personal goals, striving to be and to do the best in our daily lives and benefit from the healthy combination of a strong body, mind, and will.

Friendship: This value encourages everyone to consider sport as a tool for mutual understanding among individuals and people from all over the world. The Olympic Games inspire humanity to overcome political, economic, gender, racial or religious differences and forge friendships in spite of those differences.

Respect: This value incorporates respect for one’s self, one’s body, others, the rules and regulations, sport, and the environment. Related to sports, respect stands for fair play and for the fight against doping and any other unethical behaviors. In addition to these values, the Olympic Movement’s principles amplify the Olympic values and allow them to be expressed in a way that drives far-reaching social change.

The Olympic values may be achieved in a number of ways, especially in the twenty-first century. This could be by encouraging political leaders of various organizations and countries to act in favor of peace. Conferences on sports and peace can also be organized to bring youth and professionals together to discuss. Other organizations in the field of peace such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the Red Cross can be partnered with to affect the required change.

The Olympic values which are based on excellence, friendship, and mutual respect should always live with us.
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