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Olympic Truce Flag

On the day of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games 2012 in London the special Olympic Truce Flag was hoisted on the Peace Palace grounds.

The Olympic Truce flag is a worldwide symbol of the desired cessation of hostilities during the period of the Olympic Games. The tradition of the Olympic Truce dates back to the 9th century BC, in Ancient Greece. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) revived the tradition in 1992. The initiative is endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly, which has unanimously adopted, every two years, one year before each edition of the Olympic Games, a resolution entitled "Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal". Through this symbolic resolution, the UN invites its member States to observe the Olympic Truce individually or collectively, and to seek, in conformity with the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter, the peaceful settling of all international conflicts through peaceful and diplomatic means.

The ceremony of the hoisting of the Olympic Truce Flag took place on the grounds of the Peace Palace next to our new Visitors Centre. Speeches were held by Mr. Nicholas J. Alexander, chargé d'affaires of the British Embassy in The Hague, Mr. Henk Kool, Alderman and replacement Mayor of The Hague and Mr. Steven van Hoogstraten, General Director of The Carnegie Foundation.

Speech by Steven van Hoogstraten