The Lillehammer-Sarajevo connection that helps promote peace
Aspiring host cities often send delegations to the Olympic Games to promote their candidatures. Lillehammer was no different, with a delegation visiting Sarajevo during the Olympic Winter Games 1984. The impact of this visit was felt far beyond the bidding process.
This initial visit was the start of a long-lasting connection between Lillehammer and Sarajevo.
When the Bosnian War broke out in 1992 – with Sarajevo itself under siege– the Lillehammer organisers, now confirmed as 1994 hosts, along with the IOC, wanted to show solidarity with the city that had welcomed them eight years earlier.
To do this, Juan Antonio Samaranch, who was IOC President between 1980 and 2001, relaunched the Olympic Truce, an ancient Olympic tradition of promoting peace, friendship and understanding, and visited Sarajevo.
His successor, Jacques Rogge, meanwhile, lent support to Olympic Aid, which was formed at the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Games. This was an international, athlete-driven, non-profit organisation which used sport and play to enhance youth development and build communities. It is still functioning today, under the name of Right to Play.
The Mayor of Sarajevo and his wife were welcomed to Lillehammer during the Olympic Games, while a group of city officials and academics from Lillehammer visited Sarajevo on what was called a “visit of solidarity”.
Two members of the Norwegian visiting party were Inge Eidsvaag, head of the Nansen College academic institution, and Steinar Bryn, one of the College teachers. They were very active during the visit, and went on to help establish the Nansen Centre for Peace and Dialogue (NCPD).
The NCPD promotes peace, human rights, dialogue and reconciliation across the world. This is done by running training courses and sharing knowledge based on field experience. The Centre has since helped in conflict zones worldwide, including the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. It is still based in Lillehammer at the Nansen Academy.
After the Bosnian War, the NCPD helped bring groups from both sides of the conflict together to get them talking. The encounters that took place at this time are still being used as a model today – with the Centre also active in places that where conflicts have taken or are taking place, such as the Western Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq.