Sports for Peace Essay Example

sense of shared distinctiveness and communion among groups which otherwise, would treat each other with mistrust, hostility and violence. When properly sustained, sport programmer can contribute in this process by creating more prospects for social exchange. Launching community sport organizations and the participation of community sport volunteers generates social ties and community infrastructure that help build peace. The organizations would have the best results if it is world-wide.

The Olympic Games ensures a great Job by reuniting over 200 actions with more than 13,000 athletes participating in 33 different sports. During the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games, millions of visitors are expected and the number is anticipated to increase by 325,000 each day. The international popularity of sports makes it a perfect and extremely powerful mass communication platform that can be used to promote peace. Celebrity athletes, in particular, can be exceptionally influential as role models and spokespeople for peace and can serve as intermediaries between hostile nations, creating openings for dialogue.

For example, the athletics champion Carl Lewis and the famous football player Raјl Gong¤less became Goodwill Ambassadors, who serve to highlight key issues and to draw attention to their activities. Some of the "messengers of peace" would visit poor children and donate equipment or others might even create sports programmer for the poor and unequipped ones. All of this is done, only to teach the world to be united and to help each other. Sport has also been used to induce peaceful dialogue and to lessen tensions between nations.

For example, the eminent ping pong diplomacy' between the Republic of China and the United States was launched in 1971 when an American national

table tennis player, having missed his bus, was invited in the bus of the Chinese opponents. The media attention gained after this event led an American government delegation to be invited to visit China. There are many other cases where similar events occurred, yet, one of the most unforgettable ones is a scene touching everyone in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games; after the shooting competition, the silver medalist, a Russian girl, came to the odium with the bronze medalist, a Georgian girl.

At that time, the conflict between Russia and Georgia was taking place. The athletes embraced and kissed, telling us that friendship and respect can overcome political disputes and even war. That is considered as the core values of Olympics. Sport activities that incorporate the best values of sport, that is, discipline, respect, fair play and teamwork, help individuals to build the life skills necessary to prevent and resolve conflicts in their own lives.