East meets West Expert Series
An Expert Roundtable organised by the Europe-Asia Centre, Brussels (December 2021)
Sports diplomacy is a new term that describes an old practice: the unique power of sport to bring people, nations, and communities closer together via a shared love of physical pursuits. Though sport diplomacy is not new, the power of sport has never been more important for our current century. On 20 July 2021, the International Olympic Committee approved a change in the Olympic motto that recognises the unifying power of sport and the importance of solidarity. The change adds the word “together” after an en dash to “Faster, Higher, Stronger”.
The new Olympic motto now reads: “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”. The change of the motto also reflects the longstanding three values of Olympism – excellence, friendship and respect. In less than 100 days, Beijing is set to become the first city in the world to have hosted both the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games. With a vision of “Joyful Rendezvous upon Pure Ice and Snow,” Beijing 2022 will celebrate again the Olympic Movement and builds its activities to promote sport, culture and education with a view to building a better world.
Participating high-level guests
Ambassador (ret.) Piet Steel, Chairman of Europe-Asia Centre, Belgium
Mrs Tina Maze, Olympic Champion with 2 Gold and 2 Silver Medals and 4 World Championship tittles in Alpine Skiing (Slovenia)
Mr Peter Kavzer, Olympic Silver champion and World and European Champion in Slalom Canoeing (Slovenia)
Mr Tim Mastnak, Olympian and Silver Medalist in World Champions in Snowboarding (Slovenia)
Mr David Evangelista, President & Managing Director for Europe / Eurasia, Special Olympics (USA / Spain)
Roundtable moderator
Mr Matic Gajsek, Deputy Director, Europe – Asia Center, Belgium
URL link to the Webinar video: https://youtu.be/931I9x33h4E