By DPA,
Vancouver : International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge has rejected the idea of the olympic movement lobbying in any way for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rogge told the IOC session in Vancouver he did not think it would be wise for the movement to put itself forward. Any such campaigning would “definitely not be in the spirit of this body”, he said.
The IOC president was responding to a suggestion during the IOC session from Julio Cesar Maglione, a Uruguayan IOC member who is also president of the international swimming federation FINA.
The session had been discussing international relations for the IOC which was last year granted observer status at the United Nations general assembly.
Only last week, Willi Lemke, the UN’s special adviser for sport, had said the IOC would be a strong candidate for the Peace Prize.
“I would strongly support that. Sport contributes to the development of peace, therefore I am all for a nomination of the IOC,” he told DPA.
Lemke cited the UN general assembly-approved Olympic Truce, a traditional initiative by the olympic movement calling for a cessation of hostilities during the Games, as “a public demonstration” against those waging wars.