World Athletics Championship bronze medallist Andy Turner joined students at Swanlea School to launch London 2012's Olympic Truce programme.The day kicks off at Swanlea School in Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, London where World Athletics Championship bronze medallist Andy Turner (110m hurdles) will join students who have worked together to explore the themes of the Olympic Truce.
They took part in a creative workshop to develop design ideas for a new London 2012 Olympic Truce pin badge and came up with ideas about how they can promote the themes of the Olympic Truce within their school and community.
Celebrations will continue into the evening when the students will attend the ‘Peace One Day’ concert, marking the United Nations' International Day of Peace. The concert, which is part of the London 2012 Festival and features Razorlight, Eliza Doolittle and short films made by young people as part of the Film Nation Shorts project, will take place in North Greenwich.
The Olympic Truce originated at the Ancient Olympic Games when a truce was called to help athletes travel to and from the Games safely, and was reintroduced to the modern Olympic Games in 1992 with the aim of using sport to help promote sport, conflict resolution and to build bridges between communities.
The London 2012 Olympic Truce programme offers young people the chance
to learn about the Olympic Truce and to take part in sporting and
cultural activities.
Seb Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said: 'Our vision has always been to use the power of the Games to inspire change and through the ‘Get Set Olympic Truce’ programme, young people can really learn how to use sport and culture to resolve conflict in their schools and communities. You can see from today that already young people are embracing the meaning of Olympic Truce and are using it to be creative and work as a team.’
Athlete Andy Turner said: 'The Olympic and Paralympic Games are a fantastic demonstration of how the world can come together and compete in peace. I think sport is a brilliant tool for bringing young people together. It is fantastic to see young people living so close to the Olympic Park and around the UK getting involved in this initiative.'
In Londonderry, Northern Ireland, a new pin badge of the London 2012 Olympic mascot Wenlock was unveiled to mark the occasion. Earlier this year, Siun Heaney and Karlann McDermott won a competition through Get Set – the London 2012 education programme – to create a version of Wenlock that they felt represented Northern Ireland. They came up with a brick-wall design representing the city’s historic City Walls and the important role they play in the city.
The Mayor, Alderman Maurice Devenney, who hosted the reception at the city’s Guildhall, paid tribute to the students on their design: 'It’s a tremendous accolade for the students and the College to have been chosen out of over 2,500 entries. I would like to extend my deepest congratulations to everyone involved and hope you all take great pride in seeing your designs come to life.'
