Greek Ambassador Georgios Stilianopoulos writes to Viet Nam News on the occasion of Olympic Games 2020 in Tokyo.

On the occasion of the upcoming XXXII Tokyo Olympiad, in my capacity as Ambassador of Greece in Viet Nam, but also as a Greek citizen - Greece being the birthplace of the Olympic Games - I would like to share with your readers some information regarding the history of the world's top sporting event.

Since antiquity, the Olympic Games have been an event that brings people together every four years, in the name of what the British would later term "sport".

The numerous city-states were all represented at these festive panhellenic gatherings at Olympia, not only by athletes but also by official emissaries who frequently stressed their presence by making splendid appearances. Rhetorical events took place on the fringe of the games, such as the delivery of important speeches of ecumenical content and appeals by orators, historians, and philosophers.

For several centuries the Games continued to be held every four years. By the time the Romans arrived in Greece, in 146 BC, there had already been some serious infractions to the Truce. However, the Games flourished anew during the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian, when the installations in the sanctuary were modernized and enlarged.

The Games continued to be held until AD 393, when the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius I issued a decree forbidding them. In AD 426 the Emperor Theodosius II ratified their abolition.

The modern Olympic Games was revived in 1896 by Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin, with the inspired and decisive support of the Greek writer Demetrios Vikelas who became the first President of the International Olympic Committee. Apart from the period of the two World Wars, the games have since been held every four years in one of the world’s major cities, with the participation of athletes from an ever-growing number of countries.

Greece, as the birthplace of the Olympic Games, is always trying to reinforce the ideals of peace, friendship, mutual understanding, sporting spirit, fair play, ethical conduct, sense of dignity, and peaceful coexistence between peoples. The goal is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind.

This year's Olympic Games will be held under unprecedented and adverse conditions, due to the numerous obstacles created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the restrictions, I wish Tokyo's Olympic Games to be a new banner of solidarity and peace between peoples. I also hope that the only challenges between nations will always be of a sporting nature and that the Olympic ideals and spirit will prevail once more.

In conclusion, I am addressing my best wishes for safe Games to the Japanese organisers, for unforgettable dream Games, and every success to the Vietnamese athletes. VNS