On Wednesday, one of the most awaited news for the whole world was made official: the declaration of a truce in the Gaza Strip. Relief, hope and peace in a region devastated by a conflict that has lasted 15 months. This temporary ceasefire offers a respite to thousands of civilians trapped in a deep humanitarian crisis that was sought during the summer, when France and the Olympic Movement called for the Olympic Truce that did not take place in Gaza. That said, Paris 2024 inspired a society that saw athletes from warring countries – not just Israel and Palestine – living side by side in the Olympic Village.
“Paris 2024 has shown us that sport has the ability to build bridges where there used to be walls. Here, nations have competed not as enemies, but as equals, reminding us that peace is possible when we come together for a common purpose.” Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), highlighted this exemplary coexistence after the Olympic Games to somehow serve as an inspiration for the rest of the world and send a message of hope.
In the midst of the international tensions that plague the world, sport and, especially, the Olympic Games emerge as a reminder of the human potential for coexistence and the desire that the street has to breathe tranquility. The Paris Olympic Village was a loudspeaker for the aforementioned hope: if there are neighbors from opposing countries living together in peace, it means that outside the Games there can also be peaceful coexistence. Eight Palestinian Olympians and 88 Israelis (although the latter were escorted as a precaution) walked along the route.
PARIS 2024: A MODEL OF UNITY
In Paris 2024, athletes from countries historically in conflict shared podiums and showed that the competition can be a platform for reconciliation. One of the most symbolic moments was the selfie on the podium between mixed doubles table tennis players from North Korea (silver) and South Korea (bronze). Their smiles seemed to say: we want to get along and again put sport as a powerful diplomatic tool.
Returning to the truce in Gaza, although temporary, it invites us to reflect on the positive impact of initiatives such as the Olympic Games and the capacity that sport has to build bridges between cultures and nations, acting as an exemplary model of cooperation to resolve conflicts.