The inspiration behind the games

UNDERSTANDING

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND

THE TRANSFORMATION GAMES

the power of the olympic framework, as a delivery agent for change

AS POPE FRANCIS SAYS

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“The Olympics bring us together as ‘one human family’ in a world thirsting for peace, tolerance and reconciliation.

“I wish that the spirit of the Olympic Games would inspire all — participants and spectators — to fight ‘the good fight’ and end the race together, desiring as a prize not a medal, but something much more precious: the creation of a civilisation where there reigns solidarity, founded on the recognition that we are all members of one human family, no matter the differences of culture, skin colour or religion.”

There is a certain magic about games and competitions. They take us back to our childhood, at a psychological level. They make us enter into a different spirit, be less aggressive, more inclined to experiment, willing to collaborate and listen to others. Isn’t that what we need more of?

THE OLYMPIC GAMES

The Olympic Games is a wonderful example of how a story, a movement and act of global collaboration can unite humanity.

“The strength of the global political paradigm can perhaps best be appreciated by considering not hardcore political questions of war and diplomacy but rather, something like the Olympic Games,” says Professor Yuval Harari.

The Olympic Games has been perhaps the greatest example of sustained global collaboration ever seen. When 206 countries come together to compete to set new standards in a spirit of healthy competition, in a gesture of global coming-together. It adds value to the world of sport, as a global event designed to attract a global audience and it raises the bar in achievement and recognition, sending ripples round the world.

It harnesses national pride so that audiences become engaged, supporting their national teams as well as enjoying the spectacle of the whole world coming together.

There is a feeling of unity and peaceful cooperation which brings out emotions that most other events do not. It is that coming together of humanity.

The Olympics did not replace or hurt other sporting events. Rather, they spawned more athletic and sporting competitions. And they nurtured and paved the way for other great events, like The Paralympics and The Special Olympics.

As Professor Yuval Harari says, “when you watch the Tokyo Games in 2020, remember that this sporting competition between nations actually represents an astonishing global agreement. For all the national pride people feel when their delegation wins a gold medal and their flag is raised, there is far greater reason to feel pride that humankind is capable of organising such an event.”

And this analysis provided part of the inspiration for The Transformation Games. If we want to transform our Economies, our Society, the way we treat the Biosphere, it’s time for The Transformation Games.

"PLAY IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF RESEARCH."

ALBERT EINSTEIN

UNDERSTANDING