Press Release: Presentation of the book “Giochi di pace. L’anima delle Olimpiadi e delle Paralimpiadi” (“Games of Peace. The soul of the Olympics and the Paralympics”), Vatican Publishing House

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Press Release

Games of Peace: the soul of the Olympics and the Paralympics
Sport as an antidote to war

Preface by Pope Francis

Vatican City, 13 June 2024 – “In the particularly bleak historical moment we are living, the Olympic Games and the Paralympics in Paris are an opportunity for peace. Thinking back to the value of the Olympic truce - proposed by the United Nations - my hope is that sport can concretely build bridges, break down barriers, foster peaceful relations”. These words of Pope Francis begin the volume Giochi di pace. L'anima delle Olimpiadi e delle Paralimpiadi (“Games of peace. The soul of the Olympics and the Paralympics”) published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana (LEV, pp. 192, euro 17) with Athletica Vaticana and edited by Vincenzo Parrinello, just on the eve of the summer of sport in Paris.

In the preface to the book, available in bookshops from tomorrow, Francis recalls that “the authentic Olympic and Paralympic spirit is an antidote for not falling into the tragedy of war and for redeeming oneself by putting an end to violence”.

Supporting Francis in the proposal to recognize in the Olympics and Paralympics a path of peace are, in the volume, 85 "fellow travellers": the highest sports authorities, athletes of yesterday and today who have lived and will live the Olympic and Paralympic experience at the highest levels. Among them are the voices of the witnesses of hope who are part of the refugee team, such as Afghan cyclist Masomah Ali Zada, head of mission at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, who emphasizes the importance of sport as a message. "For a woman to ride a bicycle in Afghanistan is not considered normal: you could even say it is forbidden. But my participation in the Games has shown that sport is for everyone, because it is a symbol of equality and freedom”. Also present in the pages of this book is the story of the Syrian Paralympic Refugee Team athlete, flag-bearer at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games, Ibrahim Al Hussein, who says: "Sport has been the medium, the common language that has made my ‘second life' possible".

The Pope calls these testimonies "exciting human stories of redemption and fraternity, of sacrifice and loyalty, of team spirit and inclusion".

"The Olympics and Paralympics are also an opportunity to embrace stories of women and men who live different human, cultural and religious experiences," writes Francis.

With this style of sporting fraternity, the book Games of Peace is proposed as a guide, a manual within everyone's reach to live - even in everyday life - the soul, spirit, values and essence of the Olympics and Paralympics.

The book will be presented in Rome on Monday 17 June at the Olympic Stadium, Hall of the Authorities, Monte Mario Tribune, with the participation of Olympic and Paralympic athletes and the team of refugees who will share their testimonies.

Along with Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the meeting will be attended by Andrea Abodi, Minister of the Italian Government for Sport and Youth; Marco Mezzaroma, president of Sport e Salute; Luca Pancalli, president of the Italian Paralympic Committee; Silvia Salis, vice president of the Italian Olympic Committee (Coni).

The meeting will be moderated by Alessandro Gisotti, deputy editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication.

Press contacts:

Giampaolo Mattei protocollo@athleticavaticana.org, mob. 339 165 1956

Hélène Destombes helene.destombes@spc.va mob. 366 672 0498