Sport and a better living: one same thing

“Golf is a game that few turn into a sport.”

This phrase from an outstanding professional in the field -I thank anyone who remembers the name that currently escapes my memory- forcefully graphs an absolute truth: the worst of those with high performance are infinitely superior to the best of the fans. The concept does not only involve golf and its complexities but also any other discipline.

I clarify that, far from considering this discouraging news for the crowds who practice any sport very precariously, I am convinced that it is a wonderful conclusion. It is often said that among the incalculable legion of aspiring soccer players, only a handful manage to play that sport professionally. Or that while hundreds of millions of people play tennis, there are barely more than 3,000 who have any point in the ATP or WTA rankings.

What’s the good news? That the vast majority of the inhabitants of this planet practice sports for the sake of sport. And even if from time to time we show ourselves as fierce competitors, get angry with a partner or time our performances as if it were Abbe Bikila in Rome 60, what really drives us is the passion for playfulness, for surpassing ourselves and, fundamentally, to be healthier, to be more creative and to think better.

Today, the International Olympic Committee is launching a campaign whose highlight will be June 23, not coincidentally on Olympic Day. Its name -Let’s Move- is not only a clear invitation to turn that day into a moment of commitment to physical activity but, perhaps, it could be the starting point for a one-way trip, the one that brings us ever closer to feeling better. And have fun.

There are specific details that can be found at @olympics and on www.olympics.com, including the workout class by Allyson Félix, Davis Rudisha and Pau Gasol can become an unforgettable moment in our lives as amateur athletes. On those same platforms, you can find access to upload your own videos while exercising. More than that, honoring the commitment to our own quality of life.

I am convinced that sport is both an athletic activity of muscular demand and an intellectual exercise of enormous value. In other words, I suspect that the neural circuits that activate Roger Federer’s genius to invent magic shots in All England or Simone Biles to be the queen of the four devices should not differ much from those that inspired Van Gogh in front of the canvas or Mozart sitting in front of his harpsichord in his native house in Salzburg. The only difference is that some were tennis players and gymnasts or the others were painters and musicians. All geniuses, finally.

The day we manage to consolidate this concept, sport will end up being considered a fundamental tool for improving our societies.

This 23rd of June can be a beautiful first step in that regard.