Olympic peace

Call me an optimist, but I'd like to think that the Olympic ideals can rise above all the political and religious strife in the world for just a few weeks. Part of the tradition of the Olympic Games is the "Ekecheiria" or "Truce." It was established in ancient Greece in the 9th century BC by the signature of a treaty by three kings. During the truce period, the athletes, artists, and their families, as well as ordinary pilgrims, could travel in total safety to participate in or attend the Olympic Games and return afterwards to their respective countries. As the opening of the Games approached, the sacred truce was proclaimed and announced by citizens throughout Greece. For the whole of the Games, athletes and officials can sign "Truce Walls" located in each of the 3 Athlete villages. It's a symbolic gesture by which the participants commit themselves to acting as "Truce Ambassadors" by promoting peace and understanding through sport in their countries of origin. This picture is of the mirrored Truce Wall located in the Athletes Village in Torino.

On Tuesday, there were welcoming ceremonies for each country into the Athletes Village. Each country's delegation is welcomed by the Torino Olympic Organizing Committee and presented with a torch. Each country's national anthem is played and it's flag raised in the Village. There were three countries welcomed at the same time: U.S., Armenia, and Iran. It was great to see each country's athletes remove their hats and stand in respect for each other's anthems and flags. This picture is of our women's hockey team taking pictures with the athletes from Armenia and Iran. What a great experience to see all these athletes brought together in peace.