Olympic Truce

The ancient Olympic Truce, or Ekecheiria, was a sacred tradition where warring Greek city-states laid down their arms to allow safe passage for athletes and spectators. This ideal—that the playing field is a realm apart, a temporary sanctuary where rivalry is…

The ancient Greeks suspended the warring between themselves for the duration of the Olympic Games. In those days, the Games lasted only five days. But the truce lasted as long as the athletes needed to get to and from Olympia,…