A pair of IOC presidents will play a role in closer ties between the IOC and the United Nations.
Current IOC head Thomas Bach joined UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in New York on Monday to sign a memorandum of understanding that calls for closer cooperation between the two sides.
The agreement points out that the IOC and the UN "share the same values of contributing to a better and peaceful world through sport."
"I think this is only the beginning of what will hopefully be a relationship that serves not only to express our joint interests in using sport for development and peace, but we can really have an impact on a measurable basis as we move forward," United States Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun toldAround the Rings.
As part of the event, titled "Celebrating Sport for Development for Peace," former IOC president Jacques Rogge was appointed as the secretary general’s special envoy on youth, refugees, and sports.
Ban said Rogge "will focus primarily on promoting sports as an empowerment tool with an emphasis on peace, reconciliation, security, health, education, gender equality, and inclusiveness," according to the AP.
Rogge will work closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The IOC delegation included Bach, Rogge, IOC member Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, United States Olympic Committee secretary general Scott Blackmun, and recent Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi.
After saying sport taught him self-discipline, commitment, and perseverance, Keflezighi said, "In addition to these life skills, sport gave me something else that was extremely important to a refugee from a war-torn country. Sport gave me hope."
The IOC and the UN have worked together on a number of initiatives before. The agreement signed today at UN Headquarters "means the IOC will now work with the UN Secretariat on a range of projects around the world," according to an IOC release.
At the announcement, Bach said, "Sport can change the world, but it cannot change the world alone. When placing sport at the service of humankind, we need and we want partnerships with other payers in society. The Olympic Movement is willing and ready to make its contribution to the most laudable efforts of the United Nations to maintain and build peace and to bring along social change."
The meeting was convened in part to mark the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, which took place for the first time on April 6.
Written by Nick Devlin
Homepage photo: Getty Images
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