STOP OLYMPIC DISCRIMINATION

To:  UN, IOC,UNESCO

STOP OLYMPIC DISCRIMNATION
OLYMPIC GAMES 4 ALL
ARISTOTELIONÕs SOLEMN A P P E A L
launched in the occasion of the 5th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates
and Young Ambassadors of Peace in Rome on 12 November 2004
and now
in the occasion of the entry into force of the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 3 May 2008


We, the young Ambassadors of Peace, along with the Nobel Peace Laureates, Olympic Athletes and athletes of all sports,
men and women of science, art and peace;

Believing that the primary interest for humanity is to promote a culture of peace and non-violence through a permanent dialogue amongst peoples aiming to prevent rather than to cease conflicts;
Convinced that in order to build a new culture of non-violence for mankind it is necessary to eliminate every sort of discrimination, which is the cause of conflict;
Underlining the current division between the Olympic Games and the Para-lympic Games, and thus the Olympic Flame and thePara-lympic Flame, the Olympic Education and the Para-lympic Education, the Olympic Athletes and the Para-Athletes and, therefore, between persons with different abilities, but nonetheless with equal dignity, is an example of an anachronistic division and a dangerous
symbol of social discrimination;
Considering that the Olympic Games are supposed to unite humanity and the exclusion of the Para-Athletes from the Olympic Games is a disvalue that contrasts with the principles set forth by the Olympic Charter and the Charter of the United Nations;
Contesting the opening proclamation of every Olympic Games which declares ÒÉthe Olympic Games unite humanityÉÓ and stating that the Olympic Games do exactly the opposite through the discrimination of ÒnormalÓ and ÒdisabledÓ athletes;

We ask
the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, the world leaders, the United Nations, the UNESCO and all men and women of good will :

¥ that there be one, united Olympic Family, connected by a unique educational philosophy, realizing the Olympic Games for everyone Ð in simultaneous and distinct categories, for athletes without and with disabilities - under the same symbols of unity and respect for all athletes as equals among equals, instead of todayÕs unacceptable misanthropic and anachronistic division, which is not educational at all;

¥ that during the unification process of the Olympic Family, the Olympic ÒSacredÓ Truce as proclaimed through resolutions of the UN General Assembly be extended to the Paralympic Game period as well;

¥ that Ambassadors of Peace, young peoples from all the world, get together with the aim of organizing in Ancient Olympia (or anywhere else) the Olympic Games for ALL, consisting of some meaningful disciplines in order to allow participation of ALL atletes in three distinct categories as such: men, women, disables. The achievement of such aÒutopicoÓ, noble dream will remind the world leaders that this inevitable reality is an idea born in the minds of youth willing to make the difference today. Because the Youth Olympic Games must not imitate the adult Olympic Games,as a product of limited vision and minds, who clearly mislead the Youth in the name of the ÒfaulseÓ Olympic Education, unwilling to delegate them to act, because they Òare not well prepared to do soÓ ;

¥ Curiously enough women were discriminated from the Olympic Games for 28 centuries (not only as atlete but also as spectators, because ÒdifferentÓ) and Wisdom finally allowed their entry in the modern Olympic Games, occupying the vacant space especially ÒriserveÓ for them. Why repeat the shameful mistake to discriminate once again, excluding the atlete with disabilities from the Olympic Family?
In a divided world it is the time to proceed by uniting at least the Olympic and Paralympic Committees into one and Noble OLYMPIC Committee (at National and International level).

This AristotelionÕs Appeal has been undersigned from the Young Ambassadors of Peace of the cities of Rome, Atri, Selinunte,Thessaloniki, Bratislava; the Nobel Peace Laureates and Olympic Mentors: Joseph Rotblat, Betty Williams, Lech Walesa,William De Klerk, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, Adolfo Esquivel, Mairead Corrigan Maguire; RobertKennedy junior, Kerry Kennedy; Tadatoshi Akiba, the Mayor of Hiroshima and President of Mayors of Peace; the OlympicMedalists Michele Maffei and Daniele Masala; and many more.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The STOP OLYMPIC DISCRIMINATION Petition to UN, IOC,UNESCO was created by and written by dr. nikos sikloglou (aristotelion@gmail.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.