The Olympic games start on the 27th of July, featuring over 10,500 athletes at the opening ceremony on the River Seine. The Olympic Torch is being carried through France. Injured AFP journalist Christina Assi has carried it recently. She was wounded in an Israeli crossfire whilst reporting in Lebanon. A Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah was killed and six other media representatives were injured in the same attack. Carrying the Olympic torch is a commemoration of her fallen colleagues.

Pope Francis encouraged athletes to be advocates of peace after the recitation of the Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square: “Sport also has a great social power, capable of peacefully uniting people from different cultures. I hope that this event can be a sign of the inclusive world we want to build and that the athletes, with their sporting testimony, may be messengers of peace and valuable models for the young”. 

He also put an emphasis on conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Myanmar, saying: “Let us not forget the martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, and many other countries at war. Let us not forget, let us not forget, war is a defeat!”

G7 leaders in Italy called unanimously for a truce in global conflicts during the Olympic Games.

The custom of the “Olympic Truce” originates from Greece, securing safety in partaking in the ancient Olympic Games for all athletes and audiences in times of political conflicts. 

The notion of the Olympic Truce was revived in the 1990s when the International Olympic Committee put an emphasis on protecting athletes and utilizing the influence of sport to promote peace.