Sport has power to foster peace, says IOC president Bach

Geneva, April 6 International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has emphasized the importance of sport and the Olympic Games in world peace ahead of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace.

In a video released on Wednesday, Bach stated that sport has the power to foster peace and understanding with fellow human beings. "Sport can open the door to peace in ways that exclusion and division do not," he remarked.

Bach noted that since ancient times, the purpose of the Olympics has been to promote peace through sport, and that each Olympic Games has brought together athletes from different backgrounds and cultures to put aside their differences and live together peacefully in the Olympic Village.

He also added that peace could create a better world, and that is where sport can have a positive impact, a Xinhua report said.

"Sport is the low-cost, high-impact tool to support all countries - big or small, rich or poor - to build together a more peaceful, healthier, more equal and more sustainable world for everyone - 365 days a year," said Bach.

In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly declared April 6th as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, an annual celebration of sport as a catalyst for social development and the promotion of peace.