About the Truce Foundation
Inspired by the Ancient Olympic Truce
501(c)(3) Non-Profit · Founded 1993 by Hugh Dugan
In 776 B.C., warring Greek city-states agreed to lay down their weapons so athletes and spectators could travel safely to Olympia. This sacred truce — the ekecheiria — lasted for over a thousand years. In 1993, American diplomat Hugh Dugan revived it, introducing the first modern Olympic Truce resolution at the United Nations General Assembly, co-sponsored by 121 nations.
The Truce Foundation of the US is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that carries this tradition forward. We promote the spirit of the ancient Olympic Truce within the hearts and minds of citizens through sporting events and cultural initiatives, recognizing those advancing truce principles globally. We are the only national-level truce initiative of our kind in the world.
Today, the Olympic Truce has been affirmed before every Games since 1993. The 2026 Milano-Cortina resolution was co-sponsored by 166 UN member states — a testament to the enduring power of sport to create peaceful contact between communities in conflict.
What We Do
Programs advancing the Olympic Truce mission
Awards & Recognition
At each Olympic Games, the Foundation honors "truce bearers" — statesmen, athletes, and citizens advancing the Olympic Truce — with a specially commissioned bronze discus and an original poem by Poet Laureate Colin Goedecke.
Cultural Contributions
Commissioning poetry, spoken word, and visual media for Olympic and international sporting events. Works include "It's a Truceful Movement" (Milan-Cortina 2026), "Being Truceful" (Paris 2024), "Peace~ability" (PyeongChang 2018), and "Ultramarine" (35th America's Cup, 2017).
Truce Infrastructure
Building tools that make the Olympic Truce visible and measurable: the Truce Portal (launched February 2026) and the Truce Compliance Index — the first of its kind — monitoring ceasefire compliance and impact worldwide.
My Truce Oath
A personal commitment initiative for spectators and citizens at sporting events. Participants pledge to use the inspiration of the Games to resolve conflicts in their own lives — mirroring the athletes' official oaths and extending the Truce from nations to individuals.
Education & Diplomacy
Collaborating with educators, diplomats, business leaders, and NGOs to advance Olympic Truce principles. Partners include the Business Council for International Understanding, Save the Dream Foundation, and academic institutions worldwide.
Has It Made a Difference?
Key moments where the Olympic Truce shaped events
Despite ongoing wars, the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia participated. The IOC demonstrated solidarity by visiting Sarajevo, which had hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan intervened diplomatically during Persian Gulf tensions with Iraq, publicly calling upon all nations to observe the Olympic Truce.
South and North Korean delegations walked into the stadium together under one flag — the first Olympic event where the divided nations marched side by side.
The UN supported the IOC's 16-day ceasefire initiative. North and South Korea again processed together at the Opening Ceremonies, reinforcing peaceful cooperation.
Athletes and officials signed truce walls across three Olympic Villages, publicly endorsing the Truce commitment.
Community peace-building delivered sports equipment to 20 Aboriginal communities, hosted youth dialogues with Canada's Governor General, and created art installations promoting personal peacemaking.
Lord Michael Bates walked over 3,000 miles from Olympia to London, securing government pledges. UK schools engaged 200 students in Model UN debates on Olympic Truce themes.
The Truce facilitated dialogue between North and South Korea during heightened tensions, enabling North Korea's participation despite a technical state of war between the two nations.
Board of Directors
Hugh T. Dugan
Founder & President
Hugh Dugan initiated the revival of the ancient Olympic Truce for the modern era in 1993 through the United Nations and International Olympic Committee. The International Olympic Committee has honored him multiple times for his contributions to the Olympic Movement.
Between 1989 and 2015, Dugan served as U.S. Delegate to the United Nations, advising 11 U.S. Ambassadors. His government service included acting Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs in Washington, D.C., and Senior Director on the National Security Council at the White House.
An educator as well as a diplomat, Dugan has taught as a professor of diplomacy and senior fellow at Seton Hall University, regularly providing international affairs commentary for major media outlets. His civic service includes leadership roles as chair of the Vanderbilt YMCA in New York, vice chair of SOS Children's Villages-USA, board member of the Academic Council on the UN System, and senior advisor to Hostage Aid Worldwide.
Dugan graduated with honors from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and Wharton School of Business. He grew up in Wisconsin and skated at the US Olympic Ice Rink in Milwaukee.
Bill Belk
Board Member
Engaged with the Foundation from its outset. His father, Irwin Belk, was a founding member of the US Olympic Committee. The Belk family has donated over 29 major sports facilities to American campuses, including training buildings at the US Olympic Training Center.
Georgia Dunn Belk
Board Member
An entrepreneur bringing business expertise and sporting heritage from the Caribbean region to the Foundation's board.
Ute Dugan, MD, PhD
Board Member
A physician and professor from Europe who serves as a thought leader in pharmaceuticals, having developed innovations in immuno-oncology and therapies for non-communicable diseases at a Fortune 500 company.
Suzanne Rich Folsom
Board Member & Legal Counsel
Served as a senior-level woman at the World Bank after managing programs for two White House First Families. Currently provides legal counsel to a Fortune 500 industrial production company.
Colin Goedecke
Board Member & Poet Laureate
Poet Laureate of the Truce Foundation since 2017 and consulting creative director. Founded The Poetisphere and "The Daily Spark" Substack. Hosts cultural inquiry programming and has created commissioned works for every Games since his appointment.
Advisors
28 experts guiding the Foundation worldwide
Curtis Carter, Ph.D.
Past President, International Society of Aesthetics; Professor of Aesthetics, Marquette University
Lisa Delpy Neirotti
Associate Professor of Sport Management, George Washington University
Victoria Dugan
Youth Outreach Coordinator; Varsity basketball captain, The Lawrenceville School; crew, University of Wisconsin
Evelyn Dugan
Ballerina (New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia); artist-in-residence, The Watermill Center, New York
Dr. Costantinos Filis
Director, International Olympic Truce Centre, Athens
Jon Fish
US Olympic Athlete in Rowing (1988 Seoul); Professor of Media Studies, NYU
Curt Hamakawa
Professor of Sports Management, Western New England University; former Director of International Programs, USOC
Elizabeth A. Hanley
Professor Emerita of Kinesiology, Penn State University
Olympic Truce Award Honorees
Truce bearers recognized across Olympic and sporting events
Isabelle Picco
Monaco's Ambassador & Permanent Representative to the UN
Monaco
The People & Republic of Italy
Host Nation
Italy
Why a Discus?
In ancient Olympia, the terms of the sacred truce — the ekecheiria — were inscribed on a bronze discus and displayed in the Temple of Hera for all athletes and pilgrims entering the Games to see. It was both a legal instrument and a visible symbol of safe passage.
The discus symbolized the upward flight of earthly ambitions — a path where all could freely and safely travel to witness the Games. Athletes passed this symbol as they entered the field to compete.
Following this tradition, each Truce Foundation honoree receives a commissioned bronze discus and an original poem by Poet Laureate Colin Goedecke — connecting the modern award directly to the ancient practice of recognizing those who uphold peace.
Monuments
Permanent bronze installations by Rosa Serra, Official Sculptor of the IOC
“The Olympic Truce”
Rosa Serra (Spain) · 2001
Bronze & marble
IOC Headquarters Sculpture Gardens, Lausanne, Switzerland
Dedicated at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, May 2001, hosted by Secretary-General Kofi Annan. IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, Greek PM George Papandreou, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and philanthropist Irwin Belk attended. Later relocated to the IOC's permanent collection in Lausanne.
“Olympic Truce — USA”
Rosa Serra (Spain) · 2006
Bronze & marble
US Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, Colorado Springs
Gifted on Olympic Day, June 23, 2006. Positioned centrally on the Training Center campus as a focal point for the Olympic Movement, photographed with visiting international athletes from around the world.
Publications
Writings on the Olympic Truce
What is the meaning of the Olympic 'truce?'
Op-ed examining the Olympic Truce and its relevance amid military conflict, arguing that the deeper question is whether fundamental limits on violence can hold firm regardless of political circumstances or military necessity.
Italy cheers faith and flag in Milan after Paris' 'woke' Olympic spectacle sparked culture clash, experts say
Experts contrast the Paris 2024 and Milano-Cortina 2026 opening ceremonies, with Dugan arguing that Milan's ceremony centered on heritage, human connection, and the Olympic Truce.
The Olympic Truce reminds humanity that harmony is possible
Op-ed arguing that while the Olympics cannot resolve global conflicts, the ceremonial Olympic Truce interrupts cynicism and demonstrates humanity's capacity for cooperation.
La Tregua Olimpica è un obbligo morale
Writing in Italian media, Dugan argues the Olympic Truce represents a moral obligation — a global reset demonstrating that peaceful coexistence remains achievable.
La Tregua olimpica ha bisogno di sostenitori
Dugan appeals for active supporters of the Olympic Truce, highlighting its urgency amid contemporary conflicts and the introduction of the Truce Compliance Index.
Can the Olympics Help Us Understand Each Other?
Writing from Paris about the 2024 Olympics, Dugan introduces "Geolympics" — tracking the Olympic Truce's real-time effects on international relations.
May Olympic Truce Day Align our Troubled World Through Sport
A proposal to establish February 29 (leap day) as "Olympic Truce Day" to promote global peace through athletics.
Contact
Hamptons Office
451 Seven Ponds Towd Road
Water Mill, NY 11976 USA
Collaborating Organizations
Partners advancing the Olympic Truce mission
