Sport, a shortcut to peace for the world at war

Sometimes, to make the intention of the idea clear, it is essential to clarify a detail apart from the question to be addressed.

The news that has been hurting the planet since last Saturday and that so soon turned a terrorist event into a war of no return, -that’s what it’s all about- constitute, above all, an endless chronicle of the drama.

A drama from which sport is supposed to stay out of. Perhaps, not so much.

Far from confusing an athletic competition with a matter of flags, hymns or patriotic pride, it is still somewhat logical to imagine sport as a healthy shortcut in the midst of so much misery.

Once (we already told you) they were Luz Long, Jesse Owens and a friendship that defeated Hitler himself.

Similar barriers were overcome by the North American Rafer Johnson and the Taiwanese Yang Chwan Hwang, who gave us an endearing embrace of the Cold War after the wonderful Rome 1960 decathlon.

The memory of each of us will bring us more or less closer to many other episodes. Also of the dark ones, such as the bloody Sovietic-Hungarian water polo battle in Melbourne 1956.

The truth is that today, more than ever, sport can be the escape route for a playful message that encourages them to soar above the delirium of that orgy of blood and gunpowder that more than a year ago subjected the Ukrainian people to an endless nightmare. The challenge has now moved to the Middle East and threatens to fight hand in hand the disgrace of Russian aggression.

Footnote: the fact that sport tries to take the measures closest to an impossible balance does not mean that it can be even-handed in the face of the images of unacceptable brutality that come from conflict zones. By the way, sport could do nothing to mitigate such a deformation of the human condition.

Ukrainians, Russians and Belarusians. It’s hard not to imagine a scenario of institutional controversy now with Israelis, Palestinians, Iranians and one knows how many other nationalities.

I would love to assure you that it’s not going to happen. But it’s hard for me to ignore the possibility that, sooner rather than later and with Paris on the horizon, the crossroads of sports leadership on what to do with the presence or not of athletes from aggressor countries will continue to fail to find a fair, supportive, inclusive and uniform scenario.

Once again, Olympism could give the planet a message of harmony that, even if it has no geopolitical correlation and can even be considered cynical, allows us to fantasize about some fresh air.

Surely to many people it will seem like a backpack that is too heavy for an activity that, after all, has its origins in something as basic as jumping, swimming, running or simply playing.

However, it is only those same athletes who know better than anyone that nothing can be achieved without effort, without dreaming big. And that, in this way, the more you enjoy the conquest.