The 12th World Culture and Sports Festival opened on July 4th, 2007 in Cheonan, Korea, with the 1200 participants of the Inter-religious Peace Sports Festival joining more than 6,000 applauding guests at the Cheonan Sports Stadium.

Congratulatory speakers included Sir James Mancham, chair of the UPF Global Peace Council and founding President of the Seychelles and former Korean Prime Minister Sang Joo Lee. WCSF chair Hyun Jin Moon congratulated the athletes of the IPSF, representing more than 60 nations. True Parents delivered the keynote peace address, and an exciting martial arts dramatic presentation finished the official ceremony.

True Father said in his speech:

... Calling ourselves lords of creation and acting according to our own desires, we human beings have been creating a disastrous history. We have perpetrated terrible massacres and suffered incredible natural disasters. Despite this, we have survived and have continued to multiply until this day. We still seek a bright and happy world, although with only a vague concept of what that might be. Why is it that the human race is still unable to escape from this mire of sin and disease? ...

... The first of these roles is to become a true parent. God created us as His children. We were to become true children by perfecting our character as individuals. We do this by first going through a period of growth and responsibility, living according to the moral laws and principles established by God. Upon reaching spiritual maturity, we were then to become true couples, have children, and thus attain the position of true parents. In short, we were to perfect ourselves in love and life by practicing and embodying the true love that was bestowed on us by God with the act of our creation.

However, in reality moral values in our world today are deteriorating uncontrollably. The moral laws governing the relationship between parents and children have been thrown to the ground; fidelity between couples is being discarded as an old-fashioned concept of the older generation, and brotherly love between siblings has become a rare commodity, buried in the swamp of self-centered individualism.

This is why in order to establish peace, we must first and foremost establish true families based on true love. These will be families in which three generations can live together in true love, centered on the true parents.

The second of the three roles we must each fulfill is to become a true teacher. One way or another, during our lifetime all people enter relationships where one is a teacher and the other a student. Our first teachers are our parents and our first school is in the family. Indeed, our parents should be the first and greatest teachers among all teachers. Parents have the primary responsibility, in the position of true teachers, in raising true children.

Children who are raised well by true parents through a true and good family education will easily progress into their school education. Although at school we receive an institutionalized level of education, even within that framework teachers have the responsibility not only to impart knowledge but also to raise and educate their students to become true children, with the heart of a parent. By this I mean that horizontal academic education must be carried out on the foundation of vertical character education. Thus, a true teacher must first become one who possesses the heart of a true parent.

The third of the three roles is to become a true owner and a true citizen of God's kingdom of peace. God, who created the universe, is of course the original and true owner and lord of all the things of creation. God's creation is the fruit of His complete investment, carried out on the standard of his own absolute faith, absolute love, and absolute obedience to the heavenly law of living for others. God wants all of us to gain the wisdom that will allow each one of us to inherit everything he has and to become a true owner. I am referring to the secret wisdom of being able to live for others by investing true love on the basis of God's absolute standard. The prerequisite to becoming a true owner is to first possess the heart of a true parent.

The "Three Great Subjects" principle is an organic relationship that is mutual, absolute, and indivisible. In other words, each of the three primary roles of parent, teacher and owner is related to each of the others. Once you attain the position of a true parent, the positions of a true teacher and true owner emerge from there. Once you reach the position of a true teacher, the positions of true parent and true owner are included. Once you attain the position of the true owner, you will immediately become a true parent and true teacher...

After the opening, the rest of the day was taken up with practices of the various sports teams, in diverse locations around Asan and Cheonan cities. The soccer field, located directly across from the Sun Moon University dining hall, has become a natural place for people to relax and watch the various teams play, and for impromptu matches to take place as well. Various delegations have still been arriving, some held up by visa and other regulatory problems.

The cultural programs were once again a time of fun and inspiration. An impromptu dance between the Thailand Phrae dance troupe and the participants took place during the evening celebrations, with a delightful team in a Llama costume, elegant Thai dancers, and the joy-filled participants. Later, the Sri Lankan dancers seemed to bring to life some beautiful tableau in a rare book, with their beautiful poses and graceful movements accentuated by colorful costumes.

In a moving example of the unifying nature of faith, the final prayer was chanted in unison by a trio of Muslim participants from Afghanistan and Indonesia. The sports competitions for the 12th World Culture and Sports Festival began on July 4th 2007.