Olympic Organizers Call for Suspension of Wars During Games

U.N. and Olympic leaders invoke ancient Greek tradition of truce during competitions

Jan. 30, 2026 at 3:31pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

As the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics approach, the United Nations and Olympic organizers are calling for a 7-week pause of all wars worldwide - as they do every time the Olympics take place. This tradition dates back to ancient Greece, when warring city-states would observe a truce to allow athletes and spectators to travel safely to the Olympic Games. However, the modern truce has had a dismal record, with fighting continuing in Ukraine and other conflicts during past Olympic Games.

Why it matters

The Olympic Truce is meant to set a moral baseline and demonstrate the power of sport to unite people, even in an era of global disorder and political polarization. While the truce is often broken, organizers argue it still sends an important message about the potential for peace and international cooperation.

The details

The proposed timeout starts one week before the Winter Games open on Feb. 6 and runs until one week after the March 15 Paralympics' close. It is backed by a U.N. General Assembly resolution. However, fighting continued in Ukraine and elsewhere on the first day of the proposed truce period, continuing the truce's dismal record of 0-17. Past Olympic Truces have produced temporary ceasefires, like the one-day pause in the Siege of Sarajevo in 1994, and joint marches of North and South Korea at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

  • The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics begin in one week, on February 6, 2026.
  • The proposed Olympic Truce period starts one week before the Winter Games open and runs until one week after the March 15 Paralympics' close.

The players

United Nations

The U.N. is backing the call for a 7-week pause of all wars worldwide during the upcoming Olympic Games.

Constantinos Filis

Director of the International Olympic Truce Center and the Institute of Global Affairs in Athens, who argues the Olympic Truce still sends an important message about peace and international cooperation.

Kirsty Coventry

The first woman to lead the International Olympic Committee, who addressed the U.N. General Assembly about the importance of the Olympic Truce.

António Guterres

The U.N. Secretary-General, who told reporters the Olympics are "an excellent moment to symbolize peace, to symbolize respect for international law, and to symbolize international cooperation."

Shawn Davies

A senior analyst at Uppsala University's Department of Peace and Conflict Research, who said the number of active armed conflicts globally has increased significantly in recent years.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Wherever possible, we should strive toward creating even a small space for peace.”

— Constantinos Filis, Director, International Olympic Truce Center

“Even in these dark times of division, it is possible to celebrate our shared humanity and inspire hope for a better future.”

— Kirsty Coventry, First woman to lead the International Olympic Committee

“Sport - and the Olympic Games in particular - can offer a rare space where people meet not as adversaries, but as fellow human beings. This is why the Olympic Truce is so important.”

— Kirsty Coventry, First woman to lead the International Olympic Committee

“I think the Olympics are an excellent moment to symbolize peace, to symbolize respect for international law, and to symbolize international cooperation.”

— António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General

What’s next

The U.N. General Assembly will vote again on the Olympic Truce resolution in the coming weeks, ahead of the start of the Milan Cortina Winter Games.

The takeaway

While the Olympic Truce has a poor track record of actually stopping wars, the symbolic gesture remains an important reminder of the potential for sport to bring people together and inspire hope for peace, even in the darkest of times.