The Olympics: Making Humanitarian History

For each Olympic Games, that famous torch is carried to the host city, where the flame remains lit for the duration of the games.  And every two years, for the summer and winter games, that flame sheds light on humanitarian issues across the globe with a message of peace, unity and friendship.  At a panel discussion this past February, the Human Rights Council talked about how human rights are promoted through the Olympic ideal and acknowledged sport as a “vehicle for peace and human development.”  This year’s games in London are no exception to the Olympics’ history of world-changing moments.

The Runner

When he was 6 years old, Lopez Lomong was captured by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army.  He escaped with other boys and ran for three days, eventually reaching a refugee camp in Kenya.  Ten years later, Lomong relocated to the U.S. and was adopted.  He continued running, became a U.S. citizen and competed for his new country in the 1,500 meter run at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.  This past June, he qualified for his second Olympics and will compete in the 5,000 meter run in London.

Reaching Out to Refugees

On World Refugee Day this year (June 20), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – which works to promote development through sport – launched the Sports Kit program with UNHCR and Samsung.  The two-year program will distribute sports kits to more than 150,000 young refugees in 20 countries.  The kits will provide refugee camps with the equipment necessary to set up organized sports activities, and will give children the opportunity to play and learn such valuable skills as cooperation.

Gender Equality at the Games

2012 marks the first time in the history of the Olympics that every competing country will send a female entrant to the games.  Saudi Arabia made the news mid-July when it agreed to send two female athletes to the games: Sarah Attar, who will run in the 800 meter race, and Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani, who will compete in judo.  Saudi Arabia’s decision followed Qatar and Brunei, which are also sending women for the first time. Qatar even chose one of its female competitors to be the flag-bearer during the opening ceremony.

Accomplishments from athletes like Lopez Lomong, initiatives such as the IOC’s Sports Kit program, and milestones like three countries’ decisions to send female athletes to the games are all steps toward the greater humanitarian cause.  It is exciting to witness a country’s social progress through the Olympics.  Here’s hoping that two years from now, the Olympic Flame will reveal even more positive changes.

Photo courtesy of London 2012.