Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people…sport can create hope where once was only despair
- Nelson Mandela
Introduction
Sport is not just physical activity or game; it is more than that. It is an activity where people come together to promote a healthy lifestyle, through the development of physical and mental capabilities. Every day they try to do better than what they had done yesterday. It is a tool to promote serenity, peace, and tolerance, bringing people of different ethnicities together by breaking the shackles of borders, cultures, and religions. These sports are played under the homage and shadows of the values such as teamwork, coordination, fairness, discipline, and mutual respect towards opponents. Physical activities help the athlete to stay healthy and fit whereas, on the other hand, it increases the mental capability of the person and empowers him/her to be more intellectual and calmer in a pressure situation when the team needed him/her the most. The player not only gets the chance to carry the reputation of his/her nation, but also the challenge to promote acquaintance and friendship between the nations and their people.
Sport is a vehicle for social interaction among people of different nations that can stimulate meaningful discussion on a variety of topics, including world issues. [1]The sport due to its nature is the best weapon in the struggle for peace on earth.[2] The sport gives you the opportunity to showcase aggressive nationalism and patriotism under the ambit of serenity and peace. Sports have long been envisioned as a way to reconcile fences, mend wounds, and overcome cultural and national barriers. One such example that has broken all the barriers of war, hostility, and fences is the Olympics, where every country of the world participates without any racial, religious, or any other kind of discrimination. Invictus, a fictitious but largely factual narrative of how Nelson Mandela cleverly used the Rugby World Cup to aid in the nation's healing process and avert a civil war that many felt was unavoidable after he was elected South Africa's first post-Apartheid president. On the international stage, world leaders have used sports to encourage peace and unity, such as the 1971 Chinese-American reconciliation through ping-pong that put an end to 20 years of hostile relations between the two superpowers, and the 2008 World Cup qualifying match between the national teams of Armenia and Turkey that reopened the doors for diplomatic talks.
Sport is liked by everybody, regardless of age, gender, or race; its allurement is unmatched. But more significantly, athletics fosters principles that cut through boundaries of language and culture. It may be an instrument for enhancing the well-being of the planet and its inhabitants. We may impart leadership, humility, tenacity, and determination through its core principles. However, we also utilize sports to bring attention to social concerns by leveraging their power and reach to highlight topics that have an impact on society.
Additionally, sports encourage equality and provide a platform for highlighting the significance of multiculturalism. Public awareness programmes based on sports can raise community support for local environmental preservation and create an understanding of climate change.
Sport may be considered a valuable tool at the grassroots or community level for fostering a community where people can join together to: work toward the same goal, show respect for others, and share space and equipment. The Sustainable Development Goals of gender equality, excellent health, and no poverty can all be accomplished with the support of sports. Sport for development initiatives may be an effective addition to food programmes addressing hunger and education when combined with teachings on agriculture and nutrition.
Different measures have been taken which had lived up to the expectations and halted the war and aggression between the hostile nations. One of the best examples is as follows: The Olympics.
Olympics
It has been the primary goal of the Olympics to work towards contact, understanding, and peace among the nations. As far back as 1892, Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), urged an audience [3],
Let us export rowers, runners, and fencers; there is the free trade of the future, and on the day when it is introduced within the walls of old Europe the cause of peace will have received a new mighty stay.
Working for peace is now one of the core aims of Olympism, enshrined in the second 'fundamental principle' of the Olympic Charter: “The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man with a view to promoting the establishment of a peaceful society”. This aim has been expressed through the Olympic Truce campaign.
The International Olympic Truce Centre, which serves as both the campaign's headquarters and special ambassador, was established in Lausanne, the IOC's home base, in 1992 after the IOC adopted the Greek government's initial concept. It has received a lot of support for its core demand, which is the establishment of an Olympic ceasefire and the end of wars for the two weeks (or so) of the contemporary Olympic games. Since 1993, the UN General Assembly has approved resolutions in favour of the cease-fire, and in January 2006, Kofi Annan, who was the Secretary-General, urged all parties involved in armed conflict to abide by it during the Turin Winter Olympics. Part of the appeal of the Olympic Truce campaign has been based on claims made about ancient Olympic practices. De Coubertin himself spoke in a lecture delivered in Paris in 1929 of a 'sacred truce' during the games: 'At that time, all armed conflicts and all combat among Hellenes had to cease'. [4]
There have been instances when countries were not allowed to participate in the Olympics just to maintain peace and harmony among the nations, this has happened twice and both were in response to the aftermath of the World Wars.
First World war
Berlin was slated to host the Olympic Games in 1916, with Budapest and Antwerp competing for the 1920 event. The decision to settle in Antwerp after the war was simple because Hungary (as a constituent of Austria-Hungary) was one of the "Central Empires" vanquished in the First World War. Another issue brought on by the war, however, was more difficult to tackle. The Olympic movement's founders were aggressively seeking new members outside of its European core in the Americas, Asia, and Africa because they wanted it to be a worldwide movement. However, Belgium had been the first country to fall victim to German attack throughout the war, and Antwerp's award was partly meant as an honorific homage to the valiant Belgians. According to de Coubertin, Germany and her allies couldn't participate since it didn't make sense.[5] But how was that common sense to be put into practice? At a 1919 meeting in Lausanne, a small group of officials made the decision to only invite countries that were still represented on the IOC, given the likelihood of war and the IOC's membership, as well as non-European nations that were not represented but were chosen by the local organizing committee, to the 1920 Games. They then published a list of IOC participants but left out Germans and other people whose participation was deemed unwelcome. After being left out, the Germans responded similarly to the Spartans 2,500 years earlier by setting up a rival sporting event, the Deutsche Kampfspiele in 1922. Being still healing from the war, German participation in the 1924 games in Paris was no longer welcomed. Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey—allies of Germany—were accepted as members during a 1920 IOC session, while Austria—which lacked a member in good standing—was permitted to compete in Paris. But only for the 1928 Olympics was Germany completely readmitted to the Olympic movement, and this fact played a significant part in the decision to organize the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.[6]
Second World War
In the instance of Japan, which was disqualified from the 1948 Olympic Games in St. Moritz (winter) and London (summer) due to its loss of independence under American occupation, the IOC did not need to utilize such devious tactics. Italy didn't cause any issues either after leaving the Axis coalition at the end of the war. The treatment of Bulgaria and Romania was more nuanced: both participated in the winter games despite Switzerland's neutrality during the war, but neither was invited to London, which was still recovering from the Blitz, by the local organisers. Germany once more posed a stronger obstacle to the IOC's inclusion principles.
While the vice-president of the IOC, Avery Brundage, and the IOC acting president, Sigfrid Edstrom, both supported Germany's participation, other leaders of the Olympic movement were often less enthusiastic due to apprehension that German athletes may outperform their own. Carl Diem ultimately failed in his efforts to form a national Olympic committee for Germany because the occupying forces refused to accept it, and the IOC did not. As a result, the games continued without German athletes, however other Berlin innovations like the torch relay were still included. A West German Olympic committee was recognized by the IOC in 1950 and West Germany competed at the 1952 summer games in Helsinki - along with a team representing Saarland. However, there was no German representation at the winter games in Oslo. The Finns had fought alongside German troops during the war; Norway had suffered under German occupation. As for East Germany, the IOC insisted on a common the two German teams and, the two Germanies could not agree on its make -up, Soviet Union’s allies were excluded, casualties of the Cold War this time. After the Second World War, as after the First, pragmatism proved to be as important to the IOC as peace-making. The IOC recognized a West German Olympic committee in 1950, and West Germany participated in the Helsinki Summer Olympics in 1952 along with a team from the Saarland. At the winter games in Oslo, Germany was not present. During the war, the Finns fought with German forces, and Norway endured German rule. As for East Germany, the IOC insisted that there be two German teams. Since the two Germanies could not agree on its composition, the Soviet Union's allies were eliminated, making them this time's Cold War casualties. Pragmatism turned out to be just as crucial to the IOC as bringing about peace after the Second World War as it had been after the First.[7]
Ping Pong Diplomacy
In 1971’s month of April, the nine US players took a historic trip to China and became the first delegation sent to communist-controlled China after the Revolution of 1949. Before that, there had been no prior diplomatic ties, limited trade, and few contracts and agreements signed between the Cold War countries, i.e., the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Several table tennis games were played between the host, China, and the US team, and these matches were billed as friendship matches. The Chinese players were known as the best in the table tennis community, but they took easy on their guests out of courtesy. This trip was named Ping-Pong Diplomacy as it laid down the foundation for the official diplomatic relations between two hostile nations. It led to promoting peace and harmony between the US and China.[8]
Mandela & the 1995 Rugby World Cup
In 1994, the apartheid had ended and Mandela had just won the presidential elections, and this was the first election when blacks were given the right to cast the vote. When he assumed the president’s office, South Africa was deeply divided into racial communities. A large section of Blacks, who were oppressed by the whites and now had been in power dominating the country, politically, socially, and economically and bayed for revenge from the white community. Some of the whites under the apprehension of revenge planned to migrate from the country. Mandela was one of the best statesmen the nation ever had as he understood the implications. He understood that this division between the nations based on race is no way forward. He forgave the people who imprisoned him for more than 26 years but also wanted his community to do the same. They wanted to dismantle every institution which showcased the white hegemony over the blacks as it symbolizes the practice of apartheid. The Springboks, the national rugby team, was the symbol of such an institution. Before 1995, rugby was only played by the white community consisting of descendants of Dutch, German, and French migrant settlers, whereas the Blacks used to play football as they preferred football. Matter of fact, the hatred was so much ingrained in the black community that they only wanted the opposite team to win against the Springboks. Efforts were made to take away the name, Springboks from the rugby team but Mandela intervened as it will create a sense of insecurity among the whites as they would take away the thing that is so dear to the whites and will create a shift in building a rainbow nation. In 1995, the South African team played well in the World Cup, which helped them gain a lot of popularity among the black community too. When the Springboks came out and triumphed, the whole nation celebrated, and all the people of the nation whether black or white were filled with joy and ecstasy. Mandela was attired in the Springbok jersey and cap and presented the World cup trophy to captain Pienaar. From that every day, the Springboks halted being the institution that only consisted of whites and became the pride of the whole nation. In 1995, the team only consisted of one black player but now, there are many and even the captain belongs to the black community. Sports helped Mandela to achieve his dream of building a rainbow nation.[9]
Football diplomacy
A football match, the first step was taken towards a century of bitterness and animosity between the two nations, Turkey and Armenia. The match was termed as Football diplomacy, as Turkey’s president, Abdullah Gul attended the World cup qualifier with his Armenian counterpart, Serge Sarkisian which eventually started the diplomatic talks between the two hostile nations. The hostility between the countries was because, during the First World War, 1.5 million Armenians were killed at the hands of troops of the Ottoman empire. Turkey denied these genocidal killings and often proposed the establishment of a joint historical commission to examine the root cause of the deaths of Armenians as they claimed that many of the deaths were caused by starvation and contagion. Despite their long-standing differences, Turkey was one of the first nations to recognise Armenia's independence after the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991. However, diplomatic ties were soon severed after Armenia invaded the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory after a conflict with Turkey's close ally Azerbaijan. The territorial claims made by Armenia on Turkey's eastern borders are likewise unwelcome. But this football match helped the nations to build better relations and talk about the issue of concern that evokes emotion, mistrust, and vast differences in perception.[10]
Globalisation
The globalisation of players and coaches in major leagues has been one of the reasons for changing public attitudes toward other nations. Simon Kuper, the columnist for the Financial Times and co-author of Soccernomics, argues that globalisation is creating a new post-nationalism in sports competition. Fans around the world would often cheer for their favourite teams whose owners, players, and coaches come from different parts of the world. Portuguese Football star Cristiano Ronaldo plays for English Football club Manchester United, French footballer Zinedine Zidane coaches Spanish Football Club Real Madrid, Greek Basketball player Giannis Antetokoumpo plays for Milwaukee Bucks of National Basketball Association South African cricketer AB de Villiers has a different fanbase in India as he played for Professional Cricket Club Royal Challengers Bangalore and there are many more. The average percentage of homegrown players for the top UEFA Champions soccer teams from England, Italy, France, and Portugal is now at 25% or less. The remainder are foreigners, including several well-known African athletes, as well as athletes with dark complexion from Brazil and Latin Americans from Argentina and Uruguay. Fenway Sports Group, which also owns the Boston Red Sox and has more than half a billion followers worldwide, with the bulk of them living in Asia, owns the British team, Liverpool. The English Premier League has at least 4 billion viewers worldwide. English Football Club Manchester City is owned by an Oil Sheik and Cardiff City’s owner is a Malaysian. Chelsea is owned by Russian Oligarch. US Broadcasting rights of European Soccer are owned by NBC Sports and Fox Sports. NHK of Japan Broadcasts NBL to Japanese homes. ESPN-Brazil broadcasts NFL games to Brazilians.[11]
Conclusion
Sports is the means by which even the enemies come closer. It often serves as the first step in diplomatic talks, which is regarded as the way out of conflicts and war, live examples are ping-pong diplomacy and football diplomacy, which turned the two hostile nations in terms of trade negotiation talks. These diplomatic talks eventually help be in consensus with each other and halt the war and aggressive conflicts. Sport provides us with an interesting and affordable medium for post-conflict relief work and peacebuilding as well as future conflict prevention, but sporting efforts alone cannot prevent or end violence. Sports have long been held up as a tool to mend fences, reconcile wounds, and transcend cultural and national barriers. No other social activity unites people in such large numbers or with such fervour and pleasure. Sport is liked by everybody, regardless of age, gender, or race; its appeal is unmatched. But more significantly, athletics fosters principles that cut through boundaries of language and culture.
In the current age of globalization, sport generally serves as a positive factor for bettering the world by fostering intercultural understanding, competitive harmony, and global citizenship. Although it cannot replace conventional diplomacy and the wise application of hard power, it may be a noble type of soft power. Sport is the first step towards achieving tranquillity.
References
[1] Daniel E. Doyle Jr., International Sport as a Vehicle for Peace 53, 54 (2008).
[2] Oleg A. Milsteyn and S.V. Molchanov, The Shaping of Public Opinion Regarding Sport by the Mass Media as a Factor Promoting International Understanding, Int’l Rev. of Sports Soc. 71, 72 (1976).
[3] N. Müller, Olympism: Selected Writings/ P. de Coubertin, Olympic World Lib. 297, 297(2000)
[4] Id. at 3.
[5] J. Gerling, The Idea of Peace as Coubertin's Vision for the Modern Olympic Movement: Development and Pedagogic Consequences, Info. Letter of the Pierre de Coubertin Committee 31, 31 (2006).
[6] Mark Golden, War and Peace in the Ancient and Modern Olympics, Cambridge Uni. Press 1, 11 (2011).
[7] Id. at 6.
[8] The National Museum of American Diplomacy, https://diplomacy.state.gov/artifact-collection-highlights/ping-pong-diplomacy-historic-1971-u-s-table-tennis-trip-to-china/ (last visited Oct. 21, 2022).
[9] Greg Beyer, Mandela & the 1995 Rugby World Cup: A Match that Redefined a Nation, the Collector (Oct. 23, 2022, 3:34 PM), https://www.thecollector.com/nelson-mandela-1995-rugby-world-cup/.
[10] Robert Tait, Old foes Armenia and Turkey put faith in football diplomacy, The Guardian (Oct. 24, 2022, 10:04 AM), https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/sep/05/turkey.armenia.
[11] Derek Shearer, TO Play Ball, Not Make War: Sports, Diplomacy and Soft Power, Harvard Int’l Rev. 53, 57 (2014)
(Authored by: Gurrashmeet Singh, a B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) student at Dr. B. R. Ambedkar National Law University, Sonepat, Haryana.)
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