Rarely has there been an area of human endeavor that exposes the human spirit in all its splendour and greatness as sports.Sports effectively cuts across all barriers of caste,relegion and nationality and binds people together.The Cricket World Cup matches,the IPL matches bear testimony to this fact and reflect how equal opportunities on common ground exist for all to perform,exel and compete
Sports makes people connect and enables them to see a person for what he truly is.There as never been,and will never be,a flitter stage for the exposition of the human character,its flaws and its virtues,Abraham Lincoln put it quite succintly when he observed that one could get to know a person better in two hours of play than in two weeks of idle association,In playground,all are equal.A football up towards the goal does not know the relegion or nationality of the person who picked it.Nor does the social status or material wealth of the player make an iota of difference.What matters is that goal has to be blocked and goal keeper does it.Whether he is playing against Brazil or Germany is immaterial .And it is here that that sports triumph as it gives us a glimmer of the notion of true equality in actual practice.
Sports foster international amity amongst nations.No wonder then that FIFA has recieved the Nobel Prize for peace,as it has been instrumental in removing pretence and obstacles on the road to friendship amongst nations.In fact,the football World Cup happens to be the most watched event in the world.Regardless of the fact whether one's country the finals or not,people from all over the world invariably end up supporting one team or the other.This tolerence and broad-mindedness is the essence of sportsman spirit.It is only on the field that malice,scorn,contempt and lesser human emotions are swept aside and the passion and desire to succeed dominates.
The influence of sports extends far beyond the field.Sportspersons like Schin Tendulkar,Maradona,Sania Mirza,Roger Federer have reached the pinnacle in their chosen fields.They are renowned players and are appreciated all over the world.Many of them reach out to people who are underprivileged and have not had opportunities to expoilt their potential.It is hard to find a more befitting example than when Steve Waugh took it upon himself to visit some orphans when he was in Kolkata.Their joy and delight was immeasurable! Sportspersons and people of different nations come together in the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games too.
The enthusiasm and fervour of sports finds embodiment in the Olympics,which were revived in 1876 in Athens.The symbol of five interwined rings symbolises the five continents and implies that people from all corners of the globe should come together and are eligible to participate.During the opening ceremony,as a fanfare of trumpets is sounded,the Olympic flag is raised and pegions are released symbollically to fly off to different countries of the world and hereld the opening of the Games.The Olympic flame burns on,night and day,to signify the indomitable human spirit.May the flame burn brighter!
You must be logged in to post a comment.