NOC, IOC Call for Global Peace
Nigeria at the weekend joined the rest of the world in calling for global peace across all nations. The call was made by President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Engr. Habu Ahmed Gumel, on the occasion of the 2022 Olympic Day celebration held on Saturday.
In his keynote address before flag-off of the event at the National Stadium Surulere, Lagos, the NOC president in collaboration with the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, appeled to member- nation of the Olympic movement to always allow peace to reign.
Gumel who read the message from the IOC president said, " our founder, Pierre de Coubertin, revived the Olympic Games in 1894 having seen it as a way to promote peace among nations and people.
"Always visionary, he said the institution of Olympic Games proper can become a potent factor in securing universal peace," adding that the purpose of the Olympic movement is to promote peace through sports.
"We need to exercise in everything we do so that we can have rest of mind because without peace, one cannot have rest of mind. So let us continue to pray to God to continue to guide and protect us so that whatever we do, will be in the best interest of our country and ourseves so that everybody will be happy.
Speaking at the occasion, the Secretary General of the NOC, Olabanji Oladapo, who described sports as a bridge builder, thanked the IOC boss for sustaining the values of the Olympic movement and commended the participants for being part of the success stories.
Everybody including the NOC president, the Secretary General and Mrs Nkana Mbora who represented the sports minister took part in aerobic exercise while there were demonstration of other sports.
Certificates were given to all participants at the end of the exercise.