Is it correct to consider sports as an obstacle?

1. 57

   vydyulashashiposted 12 years ago

   Is it correct to consider sports as an obstacle?
   
   Between two countries when they have political issues?

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2. 50

   d-richie93posted 12 years ago

   yes an obsticle and a challege that must be overcomed

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3. 39

   Borsiaposted 12 years ago

   It goes both ways. Not so much because of the sport, because sports are a common bond between peoples, but because of the politics.
   Judging by your avatar you are probably too young to remember the USSR and their part in the Olympics. At one time virtually the entirety of Eastern Europe was under one leadership but there were many countries, like states in America. Since each country had a vote they could easily skew results. Also since the "State" carried athletes their's were basically professionals because they didn't have to make a living and could dedicate all of their time and effort to training. It was pretty much the height of politicizing sports.
   
   But so long as politics is kept out of the fray sports are one thing that can bring people together.

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4. 68

   MazioCreateposted 12 years ago

   I'm not sure I fully understand your question and statement.  Do you mean sport becomes another issue when two countries have political differences, or it causes more issues?
   
   Either way, I think sport can be an olive branch between two countries.  In the early 70s, South Africa's apartheid policy was greeted with condemnation in Australia when their national Rugby Union team toured the country, resulting in riots at every game.  The result being the exclusion of South Africa from World Cups and most other sporting events, including the Olympic games, until that policy was abandoned when Nelson Mandela and his government was elected to power. It was then sport that helped to bring the country back into favour.  I consider sports more of a commonality than an obstacle.

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5. 76

   moiragallagaposted 12 years ago

   There are two examples I can provide:
   
   A positive example is the so-called "ping pong diplomacy" which refers to an event when the U.S. National Table Tennis Team received an invitation to visit China in 1971. It was reported to have marked a thaw in U.S.-China relations that paved the way for U.S. President Nixon's visit to China in 1972.
   
   A negative example is the football (soccer) war between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. Though the roots of this conflict is deep-seated and complex, hostilities were believed to have been triggered by violence among fans that occurred after these 2 countries played a series of qualifying matches for the 1970 FIFA World Cup.

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