Olympic Truce Resolution for Milano Cortina 2026 adopted by the United Nations

19 November 2025 – The Olympic Truce Resolution was adopted today by the 80^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. The resolution calls for the observance of the Olympic Truce for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry and Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee President and IOC Member Giovanni Malagò welcomed the adoption, by consensus, in their addresses during the General Assembly.

Key facts

• The resolution “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal” was agreed on by the UN Member States by consensus.
• The resolution calls on Member States to observe the Olympic Truce from seven days before the start of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games (6 to 22 February 2026) until seven days after the end of the Paralympic Winter Games (6 to 15 March 2026), ensuring safe passage and participation for athletes and officials. 
• IOC President Kirsty Coventry appealed for the adoption of the resolution during her address to the UN General Assembly, which was formally introduced on behalf of the Italian Government by Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee President Giovanni Malagò.

The Olympic Truce: “a call to set aside what divides us and rather to focus on what unites us”

Addressing the UNGA, IOC President Kirsty Coventry spoke about the meaning of the Olympic Truce and reminded the UN Member States how athletes at the Olympic Games embody the spirit of togetherness in a divided world: “Around the world, conflict and division continue to cause untold suffering. In such a world, sport – and the Olympic Games in particular – can offer a rare space where people meet not as adversaries, but as fellow human beings. When athletes come together, they do not see nationality, religion or background. They see one another as fellow athletes. They show us what humanity can be at its very best. This is the spirit of the Olympic Truce: a call to set aside what divides us – and rather to focus on what unites us.”

165 UN Member States co-sponsored the resolution. President Coventry thanked them for their endorsement: “I am so grateful for all of your support today. You are sending a clear message to the athletes of the world that: yes, you will stand with them as they show, on the Olympic stage, that sport can unite us, despite what divides us.”    

“Today, as you adopt this resolution, we are reminded that the Olympic Movement and the United Nations share the same purpose. To bring people together. To uphold human dignity. To build bridges of peace,” Coventry added. “By protecting sport as a space where everyone can come together as equals, we reinforce these shared values. Even in these dark times of division, it is possible to celebrate our shared humanity and inspire hope for a better future. It is about finding that the way forward is to be able to do this together: as athletes, as nations, and as a global community. This is the spirit of the Olympic Games, and it will shine brightly from Milano Cortina to the world,” she emphasised. 

President Coventry also reminded the UNGA that the IOC and the UN need to work together to keep sport and politics apart. “This means athletes must be able to enter host countries and take part in competitions — not face the threat of being left back at home because they are denied a visa for politically motivated reasons. The final list of competitors must be decided by International Federations, not by governments. And athletes must not be judged  on where they come from but rather on their  sporting merits”.

The IOC President’s full speech can be found here.

In her introduction of the Session, UNGA President Annalena Baerbock said: “The Olympic spirit reminds us that competition can elevate humanity, that dialogue can overcome division, and that every athlete’s journey reflects the enduring resilience of human spirit. The resolution before this Assembly carries that same principle. It calls on all nations to uphold the Olympic Truce as a moral compass—a call for ceasefire, for dialogue, and for renewed cooperation during and beyond the Winter Games. May its implementation reaffirm our shared conviction that, even in a divided world, unity remains possible, and respect for our common rules means that we all win.”

Armonia – Harmony: the message of Milano Cortina 2026

Introducing the resolution on behalf of Italy, Giovanni Malagò, President of the Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee, said: “The draft resolution before you today notes the role of sport in inspiring individuals and communities to uphold the core [Olympic] values. It also acknowledges that the Olympic and Paralympic Games of Milano Cortina 2026 will be a unifying event to harness the power of sport. As President of the Organising Committee for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, I know we have a unique occasion and opportunity to promote the Olympic Truce and build an atmosphere of peace.”

President Malagò reminded the UN Member States about the core message of Milano Cortina 2026: Armonia – Harmony. “It is a message and principle which has deep roots in Italian culture and history. Renaissance artists, writers and philosophers like Michaelangelo, Leonardo and Lorenzo de Medici promoted universal themes of beauty, reason and harmony.

By encouraging culture and dialogue over dogma, they laid the foundations for modern diplomacy and changed the perspective and put human beings – and their dignity and respect – first. These principles sit at the heart of this great institution and echo the cherished Olympic commitment to universality,” he said.

Giovanni Malagò’s full speech can be read here.

What are the key elements of the Truce Resolution?

The text of the resolution notably: 

• “Urges Member States to observe the Olympic Truce individually and collectively” and in particular “to ensure the safe passage, access and participation of athletes, officials and all other accredited persons taking part in the Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympic Winter Games”. 
• “Underlines the importance of cooperation among Member States to collectively implement the values of the Olympic Truce around the world, and emphasises the important role of the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and the United Nations in this regard”.
• “Welcomes the work of the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, as well as the International Olympic Truce Centre, in mobilizing national and international sports federations and organisations, National Olympic and Paralympic Committees (…) to promote and strengthen a culture of peace based on the spirit of the Olympic Truce”. 
• “Welcomes the leadership of Olympic and Paralympic athletes in promoting peace and human understanding through sport and the Olympic ideal”. 
• “Notes with appreciation the continued efforts of the International Olympic Committee to advance gender equality in sport, and welcoming the fact that the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will be the most gender-balanced edition in the history of the Winter Games, following the commitment to allocate an almost equal number of quota places to male and female athletes, thereby reinforcing the role of the Games in promoting equal opportunities”. 
• “Calls upon all Member States to cooperate with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee in their efforts to use sport as a tool to promote peace, dialogue, tolerance and reconciliation in areas of conflict during and beyond the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games”.
• “Recalls the importance of the meaningful engagement of local communities in the organisation and implementation of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, as a defining feature of Milano Cortina 2026, in order to promote a strong sense of local ownership, community dialogue and identity, social integration, cohesion and the safeguarding of cultural heritage.”

The full Resolution text is available here.

What is the Olympic Truce?

The tradition of the Olympic Truce – “Ekecheiria” – was established in Ancient Greece to allow safe participation in the ancient Olympic Games for all athletes and spectators from Greek city-states, which were otherwise almost constantly engaged in conflict with each other. 

The IOC decided to revive the concept of the Olympic Truce for the Olympic Games in the 1990s, with a view to protecting, as far as possible, the interests of the athletes and sport in general, and to harness the power of sport to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation more broadly.

Learn more about the Olympic Truce