Olympism for humanity theory and praxis: A call for peace and democracy champions of change.

Abstract

The Olympic Games, the biggest international event, with participants that exceed the number of United Nations’ member states, were initiated as a peace education platform for embracing internationalism, global solidarity, and humanity. The Olympic idea, however, throughout history, was used as a vehicle for militarism, inter-group hatred, propaganda, and supremacy (Lyras, 2020). Despite this paradox, Sport, enriched with the humanistic intentionality of the Olympic idea, combined with established peace and conflict theory, can serve as a peace and democracy platform. The first condition necessary to achieve such objectives is to engage peace psychology researchers and practitioners in evidence-based programs and initiatives that foster internationalism and collective change. In other words, moving away from reductionism and individualism, an alarming trend of contemporary psychology (Moghadam, 2021) and Sport and Olympic Studies mainstream. The aim of this article is to highlight the robust connections and prospects between Sport and Olympism with peace research and practice. This study provides an overview of the most established Sport for Peace theories derived from 30 years of research-based interventions and evidence provided across countries with a long history of conflict. Through this manuscript, peace and social psychology researchers and practitioners will enrich their understanding and perspective of Olympism for Humanity, the integration of peace education, sport, and cultural enrichment as an unconventional tool and an effective democracy actualization and peacebuilding platform. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) © 2021 American Psychological Association