Azernews.Az

Nazrin Abdul

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The United Nations and the organizers of the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games have called for a seven-week pause in ongoing conflicts worldwide, one week ahead of the opening of the prestigious sporting event.

As reported by Azernews, citing foreign media, supporters of the initiative say the appeal - rooted in ancient Greek tradition - carries a strong moral imperative at a time when armed conflicts are increasing globally.

The proposed truce, backed by a UN General Assembly resolution, would cover the period of the Winter Olympic Games, scheduled for February 6–22, as well as the Paralympic Games, set to take place from March 6–15.

“From an ethical perspective, we want to send a message that the Olympic Truce, the Sacred Olympic Truce, must be respected,” said Konstantinos Filis, Director of the International Olympic Truce Centre based in Athens. “This may not always be possible in practice, but the message reaches every corner of the world: wherever possible, we should try to create space for peace, even if only a small one.”

The modern Olympic Games were revived in 1896, while the concept of an Olympic truce gained renewed attention nearly a century later, in the early 1990s, amid the outbreak of wars in the former Yugoslavia.