Placed at the heart of all Olympic Villages since the Turin 2006 Games, the Olympic Truce Mural is a strong symbol recognising the power of sport to bring the world together in peaceful competition, while creating opportunities for dialogue and reconciliation.

The concept of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Truce Mural, named ‘Light of Peace,’ is inspired by traditional Chinese lanterns embodying light, peace and reunion.

On the symbolic date of the Chinese New Year – Tuesday 1 February - the inauguration of the mural took place during a ceremony attended by Mr Bach, Beijing 2022 Vice President Yang Shu’an, IOC Vice Presidents, members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, representatives of Beijing 2022 and the Beijing Olympic Village.

For Abi, it was a whirlwind arrival into the Olympic Village with the 19-year-old taking the opportunity soak up the full Olympic experience. She couldn’t have anticipated meeting the IOC President on her first day and being invited to be one of the first athletes to sign the Olympic Truce Mural.

“We were walking through the [Beijing] Village to get a car to the Zhangjiakou Village and there were a bunch of people around for an unveiling,” Abi said.

“They asked if there were any athletes around, so I got asked to sign the mural.

“We [Mr Bach and I] spoke about the upcoming events, how it’s been going so far [in the village], which has only been 24 hours, and he gave me some Olympic pins which is pretty cool.”

In Mr Bach’s speech he said “it is a truly auspicious moment to inaugurate the Olympic Truce Mural today on Chinese New Year.”

Addressing the winter sports athletes who are competing at Beijing 2022, the IOC President acknowledged them as ambassadors to promote peace and human understanding.

“Over the coming days, you will compete fiercely against one another. At the same time, you will be living together peacefully and respectfully under one roof, in the Olympic Village.

“In this way, you will show us what the world can look like if we all respect the same rules and each other. This is the true Olympic spirit. This is the message of the Olympic Games - bringing the world together in peaceful competition.

“In this Olympic spirit, I invite you to leave your signature on the Olympic Truce Mural to show your commitment to this mission of peace of the Olympic Games.”

The Olympic Truce for Beijing 2022 was established in the United Nations (UN) resolution entitled ‘Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal,’ which was adopted by consensus at the 76th session of the UN general assembly in New York on 2 December 2021.

It was co-sponsored by 173 UN member states, demonstrating the widespread support and recognition by the international community of the power of sport and the relevance of the Olympic Winter Games to bring the world together in peaceful competition and providing hope for a better future.

The resolution calls for the Olympic Truce to be respected from seven days before the start of the Olympic Winter Games and until seven days after the Paralympic Winter Games, which close on 13 March 2022. To mark the start of the Olympic Truce on 28 January 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres sent a message to “call on everyone to observe the Olympic Truce during the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.”

The tradition of the Olympic Truce, also known as ‘Ekecheiria,’ dates back to the ninth century BC in Ancient Greece as a period during which war and conflict ceased to allow for safe travel to and from the ancient Olympic Games.

Lauren Ryan