On February 15, 2012, in the early spring when London was still brisk with cold winds and Trafalgar Square remained bustling with people, a tall British man dressed in a red down jacket and the attire of an explorer marched towards the Olympic countdown clock in Dove Square, catching everyone’s attention. He was Lord Michael Bates, a member of the UK House of Lords and former Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party.
On April 17 of last year, in order to urge the UK government to take the Olympic Truce Resolution seriously and call on countries around the world to truly implement it, Lord Bates set off on a solo hike of nearly 5,000 kilometers from the Olympic Village in Greece. Along the way, he advocated for truce and promoted peace. After 300 days and traversing fifteen countries, Lord Bates returned to London. A week later, I interviewed him. The following is my conversation with Lord Bates.
Reporter: How is your physical condition now?
Bates: When you have to painstakingly find the right route and walk twenty or thirty kilometers every day, there's a kind of inertia that drives you forward; but when you suddenly let go and your body tells you you no longer need all that, you suddenly feel very tired. So in this past week since returning, I’ve been sleeping a lot every day.
Reporter: How many countries did you pass through?
Bates: Fifteen countries in Europe. Among them, I only visited the Netherlands and the Vatican; the other thirteen I walked through step by step.
Reporter: Was this initiative supported by any organization or was it your personal decision?
Bates: No, there was no funding from other departments. This was entirely my own action. I just packed my bags and set off. There was no group behind me. Of course, in some ways, if there had been a team to help with publicity, maybe the campaign would have had more impact. But I didn’t have that—I just went on the road alone.
Reporter: What was your original intention for this journey?
Bates: In the past, everyone signed the Olympic Truce Resolution, but that didn’t mean it was actually put into practice; I wanted to use this action to make people aware of their responsibilities regarding the Olympic Truce.
I am a politician from the Conservative Party and a member of the House of Lords. Before the long walk, I had been advocating for the implementation of the truce agreement in the House of Lords for a whole year. On the topic of the Olympic Truce, I gave many speeches, was asked many questions, held numerous meetings, and wrote hundreds of letters. I urged the UK government to pay attention. Later, I decided not to persuade them through these methods anymore and chose to promote it through personal action.
When I had been walking for three months, I arrived in Albania, where their Prime Minister strongly supported my walking initiative and also backed the Truce Resolution. After that, the UK government also began to take the resolution seriously and put it on the agenda.
Reporter: Why did you choose to walk? Why not ride a bicycle, drive a car, or something else?
Ha, that’s a good question. The idea of walking dates back to January last year. The traditional Olympic torch relay reaches many countries. Like the Beijing Olympics, the torch traveled around the world, spreading the message of truce and promoting the spirit of peace. The torch became a symbol, starting from Greece, then spreading across the world, and finally arriving at the main stadium of the Olympics. But this Olympics wasn’t like that. After the flame was lit in Greece, it flew directly to London and was only relayed within the UK. I thought what a missed opportunity this was to spread the message of peace and the Olympic spirit. That could be said to be the original inspiration for my long walk. But I didn’t have the strength to carry the torch and run through so many countries, so I could only walk.
Reporter: Do you personally enjoy any sports? What kinds of situations occurred during your long march?
Bates: I like football. I’m a supporter of Newcastle United Football Club. I also like basketball; my son is a basketball coach at a university in the United States.
I fell while crossing the Alps and injured my shoulder and arm, which still can’t be raised very high. The most helpless part was that I couldn’t carry my backpack at that time—it contained clothes, a computer, a camera, a tent, a sleeping bag, and other essentials. I used the computer along the way to record the journey. There was no other way but to have fans and supporters transport it from one place to another for me. But I still walked on foot.
Reporter: Must have encountered many difficulties during the trek, right?
Bates: Indeed. Physically speaking, I’m fifty years old and already a grandfather, not really suited for this kind of activity. When I set off, many friends in Parliament were certain I wouldn’t get very far. They guessed I’d only make it to Athens. They told me, “You’re the type who would take a taxi to the subway station—you love pizza and red wine too much.” Ha, they were right.
When I crossed Albania, Croatia, and other places, it was summer there, with temperatures reaching up to forty degrees, which was quite tough for me because I’m from northern England. I can handle rain and cold, but extreme heat was truly a major challenge for me. Also, the period after I fell in the Alps and got injured was particularly difficult.
Along the way, I also faced many challenges every day, commonly related to accommodation. Since I didn’t book in advance and didn’t know how far I’d walk each day, it all depended on the actual situation. Sometimes, if I gave talks about the Truce Resolution at schools or to passersby, I was quite willing to do so.
Reporter: Who did you talk to about the Truce Resolution during your journey?
Bates: I talked about the Truce theme with all kinds of people. In every country I passed through, I met political leaders, sports leaders, young people, students, media, and many others.
The first person I met was the then Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, who strongly supported and endorsed the truce and ceasefire initiatives during his tenure. I also met the President and Prime Minister of Albania. And I met the Pope.
October 17 of last year was an unforgettable day. I was received by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva. On that day, the 193 UN member states signed the 2012 Olympic Truce Resolution. The celebration was truly moving.
I also had a cordial meeting with IOC President Jacques Rogge. There were also many ministers, sports celebrities, Olympic athletes, and members of the public, among others.
Reporter: Did anyone express incomprehension about your actions?
Bates: Yes, some people didn’t understand why a politician would do such a thing. Because many still hold prejudices against politics. I clearly remember that when I arrived in Bosnia, the first question I was asked was, “How much did they pay you to do this?”
I replied that no one was paying me—I was funding this myself. I’m a member of the House of Lords, and I only get paid when I attend sessions there. But I wasn’t at the House, so I wasn’t receiving any expenses. This was all out of my own pocket.
They then asked me: Surely you must have sponsorship from big companies like McDonald’s or Coca-Cola? I said no. They asked again: Then you must have a driver? I said no to that too. I just pack up every morning, sling my backpack over my shoulders, and hit the road. At night, when I’m tired, I find somewhere to rest—I’ve stayed in farmhouses, guesthouses, people’s homes... Often, I’d knock on doors, and people weren’t keen to take me in. You know, I’d been walking for miles, disheveled, sweaty, unwashed, unshaven... I had to plead with them, and more often than not, I even had to pull out euros to negotiate a deal.
Some people think I’m doing this just for fame. But I’m already a Lord in the British House of Lords—I’ve had honors for ages. I don’t need more. I just believe it’s worth doing, so I did it. If I were an MP in the House of Commons, I might not have been able to do this, because MPs have to focus on their constituencies.
Reporter: What did your friends and colleagues in the House of Lords think about this? Did they support you?
Bates: They gave me tremendous encouragement. The chairman of the London Organising Committee, Lord Sebastian Coe, was very supportive. And one of the biggest supporters was Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, a House of Lords peer—she’s a Paralympic champion, an extraordinary woman, a true hero. Her warm welcome upon my return and her kind words were a huge inspiration to me.
During my walk, the British embassies and consulates across Europe were all very supportive, offering a lot of help. Especially when I arrived in some capitals, I was sometimes invited to stay at the ambassador’s residence or provided with great accommodation where I could get a good rest. They also organized events for me. I’m very grateful to them.
Reporter: Can you share a story that happened during your long walk?
Bates: When I entered Greece, the government contacted me and told me the Prime Minister wanted to meet me. I was overjoyed. Their protocol department told me I had to be formally dressed in a suit and tie for the meeting, which posed a bit of a problem. I’d been walking every day and hadn’t brought a suit. What to do? So I went looking for a place to rent a suit. But there was none. Eventually, I found a theater costume rental place and managed to rent a waiter’s tuxedo for fifty euros. That’s what I wore to meet the Greek Prime Minister. To make it fit better, I pinned it in several places with safety pins. The Prime Minister found it quite amusing. I told him: Fifty euros to make me look like a waiter—if it had been forty, I’d have looked like a Roman soldier.
My friends noticed from my blog that I always wrote while sitting in fast-food joints like McDonald’s or Burger King. I said it’s because, first, aside from English, I don’t speak any other European languages, and I can at least recognize the McDonald’s menu. Second, McDonald’s has Wi-Fi, which is crucial for me. So, along this journey, McDonald’s became my favorite restaurant.
Reporter: What’s your next plan? Will you continue your call for the Olympic Truce, or do you have other plans?
First, I’ll keep pushing forward with this initiative. I’ll meet with people in Parliament to continue advancing the truce resolution. Actually, I’ve already started—I’ve met with the Foreign Office to discuss the implementation of the truce plan in the UK.
In early April, I’ll go to China with my fiancée, Xuelin (Lord Bates’ Chinese fiancée), hoping to meet with Chinese officials to discuss the Olympic Truce Resolution. China has always valued harmony and peace. The Olympic Truce Resolution we’re talking about isn’t just about warring parties laying down their weapons and stopping fire to embrace each other. By promoting the truce resolution, if we can also enhance mutual understanding between nations and peoples, it would be an immensely meritorious act and a rich legacy of the Olympic spirit.
If I had the chance to send a message to the Chinese government and leaders, I’d say the world is currently facing very tough challenges: economic hardship, disagreements, the situation in the Middle East, and many other issues. Yet there’s one resolution everyone agrees on—can’t we seize this opportunity to seek something beneficial?
Also, this year, another big event for me is that I’ll be getting married to my fiancée, Xuelin, in July, just before the Olympics. The entire Olympic period will be our honeymoon. We’ll travel abroad to Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and other regions to continue spreading the message of truce. We’ll help those places implement the Olympic Truce Agreement.
Reporter: Please tell us about your dream.
Bates: Maybe we can find a way to resolve differences between nations without killing each other.