The Olympic Truce - revived for today's Korea

 

The ancient Olympic Truce continues as the world's oldest continuous international accord, and is alive in the talks underway between North and South Korean on the eve of the Olympic Winter Games.

We often underestimate the power of sport to overcome differences between rivals, on and off the field of play. 

The Olympic Winter Games are already inspiring political forces on the Korean Peninsula, before the Games' Opening Ceremonies February 9th. 

The United Nations swore the Olympic Truce again, in advance of these PyeongChang 2018 Games; calling for peace along the paths leading to and from them, and for solidarity on their fields of play. 

The peaceful convergence of people-to-people diplomacy has provided a political opportunity for South Korea and North Korea to resume dialogue and contact, after an uneasy hiatus of two years. It de-escalates the tensions between them - at least for a short time - and bears witness to the beneficial consequences of peace, versus the risks involved in sustaining conflict. 

If it were not for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games, dialogue between Seoul and Pyongyang would have been unlikely.

The Truce Foundation of the USA lends it moral support and goodwill to effective dialogue. It will attend the Games and recognize three leading figures for their advocacy of the Olympic Truce: the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Miroslav Lajcak, the Governor of South Korea's Gangwon Province, Mr. Choi Moon-soon, and the President of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games, Mr. Lee Hee-beom.  Awards will take place within the inaugural PyeongChang Forum, at the Intercontinental Parnas Hotel in Seoul on February 8th. 

The Truce Foundation of the USA seeks to educate all to support the Olympic Truce, and draw upon the inspiration of the Games for making truces with conflicts in their lives that constrain them from pursuing their goals and ideals.