IOC President Thomas Bach stressed the importance of the Olympic values during the opening ceremony of the 142nd IOC Congress in Paris.
“The Olympic values of solidarity, equality, and human dignity have never been more important than today,” he said in the run-up to the Olympic Games in the French capital, which officially begins on Friday.
Bach spoke of the emergence of a new world order “in which cooperation and compromise are unfortunately regarded as terms of contempt”.
“Strengthened and united by our Olympic values, we must be ready to face this radical change”, he said.
According to Bach, people are fed up with all the hatred, aggression, killing, war, and confrontation.
The IOC boss promised spectacular Games, with athletes from 206 different national Olympic committees and an IOC refugee team participating.
“You are the peace ambassadors of our time,” the president said earlier in the day at the inauguration of the mural of the Olympic Truce to several athletes.
