Refugees win as result of UN-backed initiative on Olympic clothing campaign "Giving is Winning"

Thousands of refugees in Asia will continue to be inspired by the heroism of athletes at the Beijing Olympics, even though the curtain has fallen on the Games, thanks to a United Nations-backed campaign in which competitors donated their surplus sportswear.

Some 30,000 pieces of sportswear, mainly from the National Olympic Committees of Australia, Japan, New Zealand and China, were donated during the Games, bringing the total collected so far in the "Giving is Winning" programme, run jointly by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to 82,000.

"For the refugees, these are not only useful items of clothing, but a symbol that people in the world beyond the refugee camps, especially famous athletes from the Olympics, care about them," said Veerapong Vongvarotai, UNHCR regional representative in China.

Every athlete's room in the Olympic Village contained biodegradable plastic bags to allow them to make contributions, which poured in from competitors from teams both large and small, including Andorra, Armenia, Bermuda, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mauritius and Turkmenistan.

The clothing received prior to the start of the Games was distributed to refugees in Rwanda, Tanzania, Chad, Moldova, Georgia and Panama, while the latest donations are headed for Asia.

The "Giving is Winning" campaign, which will run until the end of the year, originally started during the 2004 Athens Olympics, during which 30,000 articles of clothing were collected to inspire young refugees in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Eritrea, Kosovo and Tanzania.

Ban Ki-moon lauds China for “spectacular” Olympic Games in Beijing

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Monday congratulated the people and Government of China for their staging of the Olympic Games, which concluded yesterday in Beijing after two weeks of competition across 28 sports.

“China can be proud of hosting a spectacular Olympiad, which brought together athletes and people from all over the world in celebration of the Olympic spirit, cooperation and goodwill," Mr. Ban said in a statement released in New York by his spokesperson.

“The 2008 Summer Games provided an important opportunity for the promotion of international peace and harmony through deepened dialogue and mutual understanding within the international community,” he added.

Ban Ki-moon joins UN General Assembly’s call for Olympic Truce during Beijing Games

Less than two weeks before the 2008 Summer Olympics begin in Beijing, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Monday joined the General Assembly in calling on all those who are at war to observe the traditional two-week Olympic Truce.

“Let them lay down their weapons, if only temporarily, so that humanity can lay claim to gold even before the Games begin,” Mr Ban said according to a statement of the United Nations in a message ahead of the Games.

Such a truce, while limited in duration, can provide a pause in which to reconsider the heavy cost of war, as well as an opening to initiate a dialogue and a window to provide relief for suffering populations, he said.

“It can demonstrate to the world that peace is possible in even the most seemingly intractable situations if we truly work towards it,” he added.

“Ekecheiria”
In 1992, the International Olympic Committee renewed the ancient Greek tradition of the ekecheiria, or ‘Olympic Truce,’ by calling on all nations to observe the Truce.

In a resolution adopted last October, the 192-member General Assembly urged countries to observe the Truce during the forthcoming XXIX Olympiad and the Paralympic Games to be held in Beijing, from 8 to 24 August and from 6 to 17 September, respectively, based on the slogan “One World, One Dream.”

In his solemn appeal in connection with the observance of the Truce, the President of the Assembly Srgjan Kerim noted that “the Games will bring together athletes from all parts of the world in the greatest of international sports events as a means to promote peace, mutual understanding and goodwill among nations and peoples - goals that are also part of the founding values of the United Nations.”

It was as an expression of these common objectives that in 1998 the InternationalOlympic Committee decided to fly the UN flag at all Olympic competition sites.

The world body and the Committee have subsequently strengthened their mutual cooperation and support through joint efforts in fields such as poverty alleviation, human and economic development, humanitarian assistance, education, health promotion and HIV/AIDS prevention, gender equality and protection of the environment.

“Olympic Games offer venue to promote peace and friendship”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations Wednesday highlighted the opportunity presented by the Beijing Olympic Games to promote friendship and peace, as he toured the site where athletes and fans from around the world will gather in just over one month's time.

He arrived in Beijing Sunday following his visit to Japan, the first stop on a three-nation tour that will also take him to the Republic of Korea before returning to Japan for the G-8 summit of major industrialized nations in Hokkaido.

Mr. Ban told reporters: "I hope this Olympic Games will be the venue for all athletes and people of the world to promote their mutual understanding, harmony, reconciliation and friendship on the basis of fair competition."

Mr Ban made a visit to Birdnest Stadium, the main venue for the competitions.

The Secretary-General hailed preparations of China for the Games. He stated: “The facilities and technologies all seem to be excellent. This is really fantastic, the most impressive that I have ever seen.”

He added: “I am quite confident that the Beijing Olympic Games will be the most successful Olympics in the history of the Olympic Games.”

While in the Chinese capital, the Secretary-General will be meeting with President Hu Jintao, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and other top officials.

UN envoy stresses Olympic Games in Beijing as unifying nations and peoples

“Sports can help bring people together, as witnessed by major international competitions such as the Soccer World Cup and the Olympic Games,” the United Nations envoy tasked with promoting sport for development and peace said Friday.

“Sport is a universal language that unites people and breaks down barriers, whether they are ethical, religious, economic or social,” Wilfried Lemke told reporters, as he briefed them on his activities during his first few months as the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace.

Mr. Lemke, a former athlete and sports teacher, added that “sports have a vital role in society, as they teach fundamental values such as discipline, fair play, confidence and tolerance”.

He also echoed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in noting that sports can be an instrument to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the set of anti-poverty targets world leaders pledged to realize by 2015.

During a recent visit to Africa, Mr. Lemke went to the poor townships in South Africa and the slums of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, where his Office had some initiatives for children in partnership with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

There he had a chance to witness how sports can be used to promote development. He will also be lacing up his running shoes in November, when he plans to participate in the New York City Marathon to raise money for a project in Nairobi.

But prior to that, the Special Adviser will be heading to Beijing for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. He will be chairing a meeting of the International Working Group on Sports for Development and Peace ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony on 8 August.

The Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the UN travels on Tuesday to China, where he is slated to hold meetings with President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, as well as with the United Nations Country Team.

He is also expected to visit Olympic Games sites and speak at the Foreign Affairs University in Beijing.