Olympic peace

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The Olympic Truce ( . Greek Ὀλυμπιακή Ἐκεχειρία : "Ekecheiria - Olympic Holding Hands") was an agreement of Greek tribes , the 884 v. Was closed to ensure the safe running of the Olympic Games . However, it is not historically tangible. According to legend, a written agreement between the kings Iphitus of Elis , Cleosthenes of Pisa and Lycurgus of Sparta stipulated that all athletes, artists, families and ordinary travelers could arrive safely, attend the competitions and leave again. The armistice began three months before the actual games with the announcement of the games by the Elis region and lasted until the end of the competitions and the journey home. In order to renew the idea of ​​Olympic Peace, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) established the Olympic Peace Foundation in 2000.

Breaches of contract

The contract was violated several times as other regions hoped to host the Olympic Games on their territory. Pisa attacked Elis in 748 BC. BC, 644 BC BC and 588 BC Every time without success. On the last attempt, the citizens of Elis attacked Pisa and subjugated it. In a new attack from Pisa, the troops of Elis defeated the Pisans in battle and tore Pisa down to the foundation walls.

The Arcadians also violated the peace by attacking in 365 BC. BC, but were repulsed. The Spartans also attacked Elis in order to gain the right to house the games. From 421 B.C. They fought for three years under King Agis II and in return were excluded from the games and fined. 404 BC They tried again and won.

The treaty lasted until the Olympic Games were banned by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I in AD 394 and was an important symbol of Panhellenic authority. Due to the treaty, Elis was one of the few Greek cities that could exist without a city wall.

Resumption of the peace thought

At the instigation of the French Pierre de Coubertin , the Comité International Olympique (CIO or IOC) was founded in 1894. Behind this was Coubertin's idea of ​​overcoming national egoisms and advocating international understanding. In his opinion, the “youth of the world” should rather compete in sport than fight each other on the battlefield. The modern Olympic Games began in Athens in 1896 and have been held every two years since 1994 as summer and winter games.

Modern events

Examples such as the cancellation of the Olympic Games during the course of the two world wars (Berlin 1916, Tokyo 1940 and Helsinki 1944), the exclusion or boycott of the Games by some countries clearly show that the Olympic Peace is not always observed .

  • 1920, 1924 and 1948: Germany was excluded from the Games
  • 1936: Abuse of the Summer Games in Berlin for propaganda purposes by the National Socialists
  • 1956: Boycott of the Games in Melbourne by the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland in protest against the suppression of the Hungarian uprising by the Soviet Union
  • 1972: Assassination attempt on Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists at the Games in Munich
  • 1980: Invasion of Afghanistan by Soviet troops led to the boycott of the Games in Moscow

literature

Web links

Wiktionary: Olympic Games  - explanations of meanings, origins of words, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Purely from murder and quietly from the clang of weapons" ( Memento of the original from May 17, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in: The star. dated August 12, 2004, accessed May 15, 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.stern.de
  2. ↑ Sport for Peace on olympic.org, accessed on May 15, 2014 (PDF, p. 14.)
  3. ↑ Modern Olympic Games at olympia-lexikon.de, accessed on May 15, 2014.
  4. ↑ The Olympic Peace has always been interpretable in: Die Welt. dated February 11, 1998, accessed May 15, 2014.