Today the Peace Run team are gathering in Paris. The Olympic Games start here in 72 days time.
Aujourd’hui l’équipe de la Peace Run s’est réunie à Paris. Les Jeux Olympiques commenceront ici dans 72 jours.
Cathy Oerter (right) is a very dear friend of the Peace Run, and today she has invited the team to participate in the AL OERTER FOUNDATION AWARDS CEREMONY, to celebrate artwork created by children. THE AL OERTER FOUNDATION (AOF) exists to foster character and integrity through sports and the arts. AOF brings together athletes from the Olympics and the sporting world to promote the highest ethics of humanity. Through the athletes’ creative talents, AOF provides programs of art, education, sport and cultural outreach to inspire individuals and communities to uphold the virtues of excellence above winning.
Cathy Oerter (à droite) est une amie proche de la Peace Run. Aujourd’hui elle a invité l’équipe Peace Run à participer à la CÉRÉMONIE DE REMISE DES RÉCOMPENSES DE LA FONDATION AL OERTER pour célébrer des œuvres d’art réalisées par des enfants. La FONDATION AL OERTER (AOF) a pour but de contribuer à forger le caractère et à renforcer l’intégrité par le sport et les arts. AOF rassemble des athlètes issus de l’olympisme et du monde du sport afin de promouvoir les plus hautes valeurs éthiques de l’humanité. Grâce aux talents créatifs des athlètes, AOF élabore des programmes autour de l’art, l’éducation, le sport et la culture qui visent à inspirer chaque individu ou communauté à développer les vertus combatives d’excellence.
The American Embassy in Paris.
The event is taking place at the American Embassy in Paris. Her Excellency Denice Bauer, the American Ambassador to France and Monaco, holds the Peace Torch.
La cérémonie s’est déroulée à l’Ambassade Américaine à Paris. Son Excellence Denice Bauer, Ambassadrice des États-Unis en France et à Monaco, a tenu le Flambeau de la Paix.
Diane de Navacelle de Coubertin (left) is a descendant of the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin. Today's Award Ceremony is taking place in partnership with the Pierre de Coubertin Family Association. Maharani (second from right) is a Princess from Solo, Indonesia, and is here today as a special guest and Peace Run ambassador.
Diane de Navacelle de Coubertin (à gauche) est la descendante du fondateur des Jeux Olympiques modernes, Pierre de Coubertin. La cérémonie de remise des récompenses d’aujourd’hui se déroule en partenariat avec l’Association Familiale Pierre de Coubertin. Maharani (deuxième à droite) est une Princesse de Solo (Indonésie) et était spécialement invitée à cette occasion en tant qu’Ambassadrice de la Peace Run.
Diane de Coubertin holds the Peace Torch with her sister Alexandra de Coubertin. They are both very passionate about maintaining and developing the Olympic spirit of Excellence, Friendship and Respect, especially among the younger generation.
French-Algerian long jump champion Kader Klouchi, who competed in the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona, holds the torch with his young daughter. Kader is also an accomplished artist and is here today to give out some of the Awards.
Cathy Oerter welcomes all the special guests and students in the main salon for the Award ceremony. In his lifetime Al Oerter was a great inspiration to not only his fellow athletes, but to men and women from all walks of life. He had a generous spirit and overcame many challenges to become an Olympic champion. He was the first athlete to compete in four different Olympic Games. He said: "If we strive to be the best we can be every day, we can do some wonderful things on this earth".
Olympic athletes Peter Schifrin (American Fencer) and Emanuela Pierantozzi (Italian Judo Champion - second from right) present the Award for a mural that has been created by students.
Award winners receive their medals from Kader Klouchi. These two young ladies produced an exemplary piece of art showing that, working together, human beings can overcome the challenges of war, environmental pollution and poverty.
Three young men receive their award from British Olympic Javelin thrower and artist Roald Bradstock.
Diane de Coubertin holds up an award winning piece of art and invites the young artists to share their inspiration in creating it.
Princess Maharani of Solo, Indonesia offers the students some words of inspiration. Her family in Indonesia do a lot of work to inspire young people through the creative arts.
Maharani expresses her admiration for the artworks, that manifest the connection between art, sports and Peace.
Padmasini Guillet from the French Peace Run team, joins Maharani to congratulate the children.
The Director of the European Peace Run, Devashishu Torpy, shares the experience of the Peace Run team who have brought the Peace Torch to more than 160 countries worldwide.
The international team of Peace runners are introduced.
Pranayani from the Netherlands gets a big cheer from a student who hails from the same nation.
The Peace Torch is presented and everyone is invited to stay behind after the ceremony to spend a few moments contemplating Peace and holding the torch.
This artwork depicts Olympic discus champion Al Oerter on the left, Discobolos in the middle, and a paralympic discus thrower on the right.
Above the children hangs a mural that was created by children from Paris, Rome, Kranj (Slovenia), and Colorado Springs in the USA.
Sarah Will is an artist and paralympic skiier from the USA. She competed in four Winter Olympic Games between 1992 and 2002.
Cathy Oerter with two of her young artist friends.
In the afternoon we visit the International School in Paris.
A moment of Peace.
The ladies team do a demonstration of peaceful and non peaceful behaviour. The simple message is that Peace begins with each one of us and we can create Peace through simple acts of kindness and friendship.
Jason Taylor who invited us to the school, stands with his fellow teachers.
Devashishu poses in front of a statue of Winston Churchill, with the words 'We shall never surrender'.
A beautiful rainbow to complete the day, with a bird shaped cloud at the end.
