United Rings: True Father Reflects on the Ideal of the Olympic Games and World Peace
The Olympic Games have long been a symbol of hope and peace throughout the world. True Father, who proclaimed the message of peace for all nations, understood the Olympic Games as a venue to foster worldwide freedom, peace, and happiness. Here, he reflects on the 24th Olympic Games, held in his home country of Korea. The observations are especially poignant when considering that the fall of the Soviet Union occurred only three years later. With the “eyes of the world” now focused on the winter games in Sochi, we are reminded once again of this idealistic message — hundreds of nations coming together in harmony under the banner of sportsmanship.
True Father reflects on the 24th Olympic Games saying:
“The Olympics are a good example of people from all nations striving toward united values, though on an external level. My country hosted the 24th Olympic Games. As a Korean, I was proud that for the first time the Olympics were held in my country. This was the largest Olympics ever held. I was proud and impressed by the Olympics as a festival that lifts up the ideals of world peace and harmony. Korea is a divided country, still aching from the division between the communist North and the free democracy in the South. Thus, it was especially meaningful that there in Korea, athletes from one hundred and sixty nations of East and West, North and South, could join together in open and friendly games. The sight of Americans and Russians, Chinese, East Germans and West Germans, people from all nations joined hand in hand, thrilled our hearts. I think it thrilled God’s heart, too. For this represents the ideal of world peace and unity that we all hope for, and that God is striving to realize through us.
“The communist and democratic sides first confronted each other during the Korean War. Now, the 1988 Olympics have brought the two sides closer to unity. Satan divided North and South, but God is always moving toward unity. The satanic parent wants to exploit and destroy, but the Heavenly Parent wants to restore and bring unity. We saw a sheer miracle in the 1988 Olympics. Future Olympics may never be as significant as this one was. 160 nations were involved, representing the sixteen nations that fought in the Korean War on the side of South Korea.
“With the success of the Seoul Olympic Games, which truly became a festival for all humankind, we are destined to go over the barriers between ideologies, nationalities, religions, and races, and take the lead in opening a new age of peace and unification. Humankind must now liquidate the dark history of wars and disagreements and face the great turning point of history that will bring harmony to all humankind. We are destined to soon reach that point—by overcoming the structural and ideological conflicts between East and West with a new ideology of true love. This new ideology will bring both sides into harmony, unite them, and bring about an ideal world.”