TOKYO: International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach unveiled the Olympic Village Truce Mural on Monday, four days before the start of the Tokyo 2020 Games.

The mural was revealed in a low-key ceremony at the Olympic Village. Bach accompanied by Saburo Kawabuchi, Olympic Village mayor, Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, and Yuriko Koike, the Tokyo Governor.

The Olympic Truce, an ancient tradition that calls on all nations to cease hostilities and conflicts during the Games, came into force last Friday, one week before the Opening Ceremony.

Since Olympic Winter Games in Turin in 2006, a mural representing the Truce has been placed in the Olympic Village, with athletes invited to sign it to inspire peace through sport.

“This call for an Olympic truce is a 3,000-year-old tradition, put in place for the ancient Olympic Games,” Bach said.

“Today we are inaugurating the peace memorial in the beating heart of the Olympic Village and it is here where the Olympic spirit comes to life.

“Athletes show us that despite all our differences, it is possible to live in peace. This is the Olympic message.”

The mural, made of Japanese cedar and cypress wood, will remain on display in the Olympic Village plaza for the duration of the Games.

“With the arrival of athletes from around the world, the village has become alive and invigorated,” said Kawabuchi.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2021