THE SPORTIVE, KNIGHTLY BATTLE AWAKENS THE

BEST HUMANS CHARACTERISTICS. IT DOESNT

SEPARATE BUT UNITES THE COMBATANTS IN
UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECT. IT ALSO HELPS
TO CONNECT THE COUNTRIES IN THE SPIRIT OF
PEACE. THAT IS WHY THE OLYMPIC FLAME
SHOULD NEVER DIE.
ADOLF HITLER.

By Aina Villares-Vila
Sports and Politics: the two ambits that never
should have mixed and always have done.

It is often said that sport and politics are two aspects of our society
that have nothing in common. Yet the history of the Olympic
movement has provided several examples of how they influence one
another, directly or indirectly.
There are both kind of people, the ones that agree and the ones that
are against this mix.

Sport and politics dont To say that politics is not

mix a part of sports is not
being realistic. When I run,
I am more than a runner. I
am a diplomat, an
ambassador for my
country.
The Olympic Games

No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial

propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or
other areas. Rule 50.3 of the Olympic Charter

There can be no doubt that sporting contests, and the Olympic Games
in particular, are a reflection of the real world, a microcosm of
international relations. Throughout history, they have acted as an
indicator of international detente.
Two of the countries that clearly used Sport (and the absence of Sport)
as Propaganda for their ideologies were: The USSR - current Russia -
 COMMUNISM NAZISM
After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Hitler uses The Olympics as the
the Bolsheviks boycotted the Olympics biggest Propaganda event, even
as they viewed modern sports as elitist though he is not a sports fan.
and proponents of western capitalism. In 1936, The Olympic Games took
Early 1920s Creation of the Red Sport place in Berlin, also known as The
International, that was in charge of Nazis Olympics.
spreading revolutionary ideals through He sells to the world a fake image of a
sport (collectivism). new, peaceful and strong Germany,
while masking the regimes targeting
of Jews and Gypsies.
Nelson Mandela
Athletes who have used their popularity
to express their ideologies
The idea that sport is somehow a model or metaphor for social life makes it a
frequent reference point, either in terms of abstract ideas, ideals, and values or in
terms of athletes, competitions, and events in the sporting world being believed to
embody and used to express political and ideological views.

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali in a Black Muslim convention (1968) Muhammad Ali in Barack Obamas presentation as
the president of the United States (2009)

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/04/politics/muhammad-ali-political-moments
Gerard
Piqu
- The FC Barcelonas footballer is an example of how politics, ideologies and sports

mix nowadays.

- He supports Catalonias rights of vote and, consequently, its independence from

Spain.

Gerard Piqu in his twitter, followed by a pic of his

son Milan and him in the Catalan March for the
Independence: Happy Catalonias National day to
everyone!
 - However, he plays for the Spanish National team, being a

controversial subject around the country.

- He has also given support to the fact that, if in Real Madrids

game there can be Spanish flags, in Barcelonas games UEFA

cannot ban Estalades (Catalan flags for the independence)

which has happened.

ESPN: Barcelona face another

UEFA fine as fans wave pro-
independence flags
Conclusion
Throughout history, Sports have always been used as a way of freedom. This has lead
to the expression of ideologies that arent related directly to sports.

Media attention is a key fact to spread these ideologies, so the politicians try to get
this attention by going to sports events or meeting sportspeople in public. This helps
them too because people see them as normal people and they feel identified with
them (same team supporter, same favorite sport)

Moreover, sportspeople are above all people and being known doesnt mean they
cannot express themselves in public just because they will create controversy.
However, it is true they have to know how to express and be responsible for their
words and acts because their relevance goes beyond their simply opinion.