Olympic Truce

The Olympic Truce is a tradition originating from ancient Greece that dates back to 776 BC. A "truce" (from Ancient Greek ἐκεχειρία (ékécheiria) 'laying down of arms') was announced before and during the Olympic Games to ensure the host city state (Elis) was not attacked and athletes and spectators could travel safely to the Games and peacefully return to their respective countries.

In 1992, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) renewed this tradition by calling upon all nations to observe the Truce during the modern Games. The Truce was revived by United Nations Resolution 48/11 of 25 October 1993, as well by the United Nations Millennium Declaration relating to the world peace and security. Every two years since the 1993 resolution, the United Nations has adopted, with varying levels of consensus, a resolution reaffirming the ideals of the Olympic Truce.

In 1996, the Athens Bid Committee committed to revive the Olympic Truce and promoting it to the world through the Olympic flame relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Three years later, the IOC announced the establishment of the International Olympic Truce Foundation and the International Olympic Truce Centre in cooperation with Greece. The vision was to protect the interests of athletes and sport, and to promote peaceful principles in the modern day. Each host city was encouraged to embrace the meaning and spirit of the Olympic Truce in the planning and staging of the Games.

The modern Olympic Truce starts one week before the main opening ceremony of the Olympic Games and ends one week after the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games. The Truce has been violated multiple times in the modern history of the Games, including by the United States and its allies during the subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. From 2008, the focus has been primarily on Russia, which has launched two offensives. In 2022, Russia started its invasion of Ukraine. This violation was a contributing factor to Russian and Belarusian athletes being excluded from the 2022 Winter Paralympics and the subsequent suspension of most Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Summer Olympics and 2026 Winter Olympics. In 2026, Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran.