That sports is a very crucial element of life cannot be overstated.Sports promotes a rapid mental and physical development-a sound mind lies in a healthy body.Sports aims at promoting the teaching of morals,obedience to rules and regulations,tolerance,sympathy and co-operation.These qualities are prerequisites for an appreciable social interactions.Without them there will be disharmony in the society.
By bringing together officials and participants from different places,religion or political background,sports seeks to foster the spirit of friendship and co-operation at the local,national and international levels.The CAF games,UEFA and Europa games to mention few are all organized to promote the cultivation and the development of group consciousness,morale and spirit; and to foster universal understanding.
Sports also aims at promoting equality by breaking down the barriers between groups of people-the big and the small,the developed and the developing.Thus sportsmen from a small nation like Togo may compete with nations like the USA without any inferiority complex.
Therefore generally speaking,sports aims at promoting unity-fraternizing the world.It was this noble idea which motivated Count de Coubertin to revive the Olympic games.
However in practice sports does not serve the purpose it is intended to.Modern sports foster unhealthy rivalry and disputes.Personal and sectional interests supersede universal ones.Because of the desire to win at all costs,the temptation to cheat is high-rules are neither enforced rigorously nor obeyed to the letter.Violence sets in-fans fight among themselves and molest officials suspected of being biased.Violence cannot promote unity.
Moreover,modern sports does not not foster universal understanding.It has become a political weapon.Many countries boycott international sporting competitions in order to settle political scores,thereby making sports a divisive instead of a unifying force.
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