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  United we stand and fight: Thomas Bach

United we stand and fight: Thomas Bach

AFP
Published : Aug 17, 2016, 7:01 am IST
Updated : Aug 17, 2016, 7:01 am IST

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach made an appeal for unity in a troubled world Friday as the opening ceremony for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games got under way.

Thomas Bach
 Thomas Bach

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach made an appeal for unity in a troubled world Friday as the opening ceremony for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games got under way.

Bach, who has faced criticism in recent weeks for his decision not to ban Russia from the Games over a doping scandal, said the August 5-21 sporting extravaganza would send a message of hope to the watching world.

“We are living in a world of crises, mistrust and uncertainty,” Bach said.

“Here is our Olympic answer: the 10,000 best athletes in the world, competing with each other, at the same time living peacefully together in one Olympic Village, sharing their meals and their emotions.

“In this Olympic world, we see that the values of our shared humanity are stronger than forces which want to divide us.”

Bach said the presence of the IOC’s Olympic refugee team — comprising 10 athletes who have fled war or poverty to compete in Rio — was a riposte to a world “where selfishness is gaining ground, certain people claim to be superior to others. You send a message of hope to millions of refugees around the globe. You had to flee your homes because of violence, hunger or because you were different,” Bach said.

Location: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro