By Laura Chinchilla
Former President of Costa Rica and IOC Member
January 2022
31 Jan 2022 - After more than 12 catastrophic months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a year later than originally programmed, Tokyo successfully hosted the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in July 2021, although without spectators. In February 2022, it will be the turn of Beijing to host the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, again amidst a new global wave of COVID-19 resulting from the omicron variant.
As in many other fields, the past years have proved difficult for sport. Despite the challenges they have faced, athletes - and the domestic and international sports organisations that support them - have shown high levels of adaptability and resilience. The impact of the Olympic Games cannot be overstated. Not just in financial terms, given that 90 per cent of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s revenue is redistributed to support athletes and sports organisations globally, but also in terms of what they symbolise. In the words of the Olympic Charter, the Games represent the qualities of “body, will and mind”, which should be cherished today more than ever.
That same Charter also states that Olympism was conceived “to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity”. In other words, Olympism recognises that ours is a world in which conflict and threats to human dignity persist. It is not a parade or spectacle that is void of meaning or awareness about the most pressing issues for humanity. On the contrary, sports have proved historically to be one of the most powerful resources to overcome divisions amongst peoples, and to assert the principles of equality and non-discrimination.
That said, the Olympic Games should not become a political instrument for leaders and governments to promote their domestic agendas, cover up abuses or settle diplomatic disputes. Boycotts or other political interventions aimed at the Games not only target the wrong forum – often with meagre or counterproductive results – but also entail risks for this unique global event and the exceptional platform it provides for athletes from small and big countries alike.
They are also a tool to advance the 2030 SDG Agenda, which recognises sport as an “important enabler” of sustainable development. Being already a carbon-neutral organisation, the IOC uses its influence to encourage the broader Olympic Movement to act against climate change and make the world of sport more sustainable. From 2030 onwards, the IOC will require all Olympic Games to be climate positive. Gender equality has been another priority, evidenced by the fact that 49 per cent of the athletes at Tokyo 2020 were women. Full parity will be achieved from Paris 2024 onwards. The Games also provide a platform and opportunity to participate for those who fled their countries due to conflict. An IOC Refugee Olympic Team took part for the first time in the 2016 Summer Olympics, and the IOC aims to continue with this tradition at future Games.
It is a fact that the world today is increasingly polarised, with political tensions rising in different regions – and of course very different to 2015, when Beijing was chosen to host the upcoming Winter Olympics. In this context, normalising the weaponisation of the Games for political purposes could lead to endless international clashes, potentially diminishing the positive returns they provide.
Instead of bringing geopolitical disagreements to the sports arena, countries must embrace the old tradition of the “Olympic Truce” and use the Games as an opportunity to reduce international conflict and cease hostilities. Specifically for the upcoming Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games of Beijing 2022, this truce was adopted by consensus of all 193 Member States of the United Nations General Assembly at its 76th Session in December 2021.
Nobody, including the Olympic family, must be indifferent to the problems that nations and their peoples endure. On the contrary, we believe that accusations of human rights violations and repression must be taken seriously and addressed properly and fully through the most suitable political and diplomatic forums and multilateral mechanisms.
The Olympic Games, for their part, must continue contributing to their mission of promoting the changes that the current global challenges demand based on the values and attitudes that are instilled in athletes and projected to the world. Strengthening and preserving the Games is an international responsibility. We must protect the Olympic flame of the Games to always let it shine, brightly.
