Sport gives people the courage to see an opponent “not as an enemy, but as a partner in a shared endeavour”, as the President of the UN General Assembly put it on Thursday, that “even in times of division, humanity can find common ground through sport – and an enduring hope.”
Speaking ahead of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Annalena Baerbock, the UNGA president, recalled her years as a young trampoline gymnast chasing the Olympic dream – and the sense of unity that sport can forge, even between rivals.
The Olympic Truce, she said, is a powerful symbol of that possibility – “a living metaphor of what peace requires: discipline, respect and courage needed to build peace.”
Examples from recent decades show how powerful that metaphor can be in practice.
In the 1990s, the Open Fun Football Schools brought together more than 150,000 children across ethnic divides in the Balkans, using play to rebuild trust after conflict.
Similar programmes in Colombia and Cyprus have helped fractured communities slowly rediscover confidence through shared games, shared goals, and shared ground.
Sport’s ability to break down barriers is not only about peace between nations – it is also about equality at home.
She celebrated the defiant spirit of Canada’s women’s hockey team, who claimed Olympic gold at Sochi 2014 and famously embraced the taunt “Play like a girl?” with the reply: Yes – fast and strong like girls.”
Their message, she said, pushes back against the stereotypes that continue to limit women and girls far beyond sport.
Milano-Cortina 2026 is set to be the most gender-balanced Winter Games yet, with women expected to make up 47 per cent of the athletes.
Italy has committed to ensuring that the Games advance inclusion and accessibility both on and off the ice, supported by hundreds of planned legacy projects.
The Italian delegation also highlighted moments of extraordinary sportsmanship that embody the Olympic spirit, recalling the generosity of bobsledder Eugenio Monti, who famously lent his rivals equipment during the 1964 Innsbruck Games – an act that cost him victory that day but earned him lasting respect.
“Sport and the Olympic Games can provide a beacon of hope, an alternative to rivalry and division,” Italy’s representative said. As the world looks towards the winter games, the UN’s message is simple: the values learned on the field – fairness, courage, teamwork – are the same values needed to build a more peaceful and inclusive world.