Olympism for Humanity Theory and Praxis: A Call for Peace and Democracy Champions of Change

The Olympic Games, the biggest international event, with participants that exceed the number of United Nations' member states, were initiated as a peace education platform for embracing internationalism, global solidarity, and humanity. The Olympic idea, however, throughout history, was used as a vehicle for militarism, inter-group hatred, propaganda, and supremacy (Lyras, 2020). Despite this paradox, Sport, enriched with the humanistic intentionality of the Olympic idea, combined with established peace and conflict theory, can serve as a peace and democracy platform. The first condition necessary to achieve such objectives is to engage peace psychology researchers and practitioners in evidence-based programs and initiatives that foster internationalism and collective change. In other words, moving away from reduction-ism and individualism, an alarming trend of contemporary psychology (Moghadam, 2021) and Sport and Olympic Studies mainstream. The aim of this article is to highlight the robust connections and prospects between Sport and Olympism with peace research and practice.

Automated summary

The Olympic Games were initiated as a platform for peace education, but have been historically used for militarism and propaganda. Sport can serve as a platform for peace and democracy, by engaging peace psychology researchers and practitioners to foster internationalism and collective change.