In the eighth century BC, Iphitos, king of a Greek state called Elis on the Peloponnesian peninsula, asked the oracle of Delphi how he might put a stop to the constant wars he fought with neighbouring city-states and, so legend has it, was advised to host a peaceful sporting competition between them.

To facilitate this, Iphitos, Cleisthenes of Pisa (the Greek state, not the leaning Italian) and Lycurgus of Sparta signed an “ekecheiria”, or truce, guaranteeing safe conduct of athletes and spectators to and from the games. So at Olympia in 776 BC, the Olympics began.

The Olympic flame on its way from Greece to Paris.Credit: AP

In 1992, the IOC revived the Olympic truce, co-opting the UN to their cause. Needless to say of their joint enterprise, they lay it on pretty thick.“The Olympic movement aspires to contribute to a peaceful future for humankind through the educational value of sport,” they say. “It aims to promote the maintenance of peace, mutual understanding and goodwill.” Aristotle, eat your heart out.

The Olympic movement has always cloaked itself somewhat piously in the guise of a force for peace. But this is not a time for cynicism. In 2024, there is tumult everywhere in the world and........

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