The Foreign Ministry issued the following announcement on the occasion of the adoption by the UN General Assembly of 6 April as the International Day of Sport for the Development of Peace:
“A unique global language of understanding among peoples, sport inspires the whole of humanity, contributing decisively to the substantial adoption of the values of respect for diversity, tolerance and participation, comprising a means for fighting all forms of discrimination.
It is vital that we use every means at our disposal in the modern era, so that, benefiting from the power of sport in the global conscience, we can instil in the hearts of mankind – and particularly in young people’s hearts – the values inspired by the sports ideal.
Greece, the cradle of Democracy and the repository of the Olympic spirit, fully implements the values of the Olympic ideal, participating actively in the celebration of the International Day of Sport for the Development of Peace. It is worth noting that the United Nations chose this specific date because 6 April was the opening day of the first modern Olympic Games, in Athens, in 1896.”
April 6, 2014