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How did the International Olympic Committee try to promote peace through the Olympic Truce?

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A woman in a white pleated dress lights the Olympic torch from a large flame in a gold cauldron, with a crowd seated in the background at Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. — Olympic Games An actress playing the role of an Athenian high priestess lights the Olympic flame in Athens, October 31, 2017. The torch was later carried to Pyeongchang, South Korea, for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has long sought to use the Olympic Games as a platform to advance international understanding and world peace. While the ancient ekecheiria (Olympic truce) primarily protected travelers to and from the ancient Olympic Games rather than halting wars, the modern movement has adapted this concept to address contemporary global conflicts.1

To actively promote peace, the IOC has taken the following steps:

Diplomatic Inclusion: The IOC has worked with political leaders to ensure the participation of athletes from regions experiencing conflict or political transition, such as the former Yugoslav republics in 1992, and East Timorese and Palestinian athletes in 2000.2
Institutionalizing Peace Efforts: In 2000, the IOC established the International Olympic Truce Foundation in Athens. This organization is dedicated to studying world peace and encouraging nations to refrain from armed conflict during the Games.1
Modernizing the Truce: The IOC revived the ancient tradition, transforming it into a central pillar of its modern ideology. Unlike the ancient version, the modern initiative aims to persuade countries to cease hostilities entirely during the Olympic period.12