The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on Tuesday designating May 25 as World Football Day.
According to the resolution, the day commemorates the 100th anniversary of the first international football competition in history, which featured representation from all regions as part of the 1924 Summer Olympics in the French capital, Paris.
The draft resolution, proposed by Libya’s permanent representative to the UN, Taher M. El-Sonni, was accepted by more than 160 of the General Assembly’s 193 members.
“Football, or soccer as others call it, is the number one game played and followed around the globe,” El-Sonni told the Assembly, adding that it is “more than just a game” that is played for joy and competitiveness by people of all ages on the streets and in villages, in schools, and in courtyards.
“Football serves as a universal language spoken across the globe, cutting across national, cultural, and socio-economic barriers,” he stated.
The General Assembly’s president, Dennis Francis, hailed the resolution’s passage.
“Football, like many other sports, builds on the values of camaraderie, teamwork, fair play, and tolerance and is a tool for building peace and solidarity around the world,” he stated.