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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: Sporting Boycotts - do you think they have an impact?
For decades, South Africa was all alone down there in the world sporting arena, cos the apartheid system meant that many countries refused to have any sporting ties with them. Zimbabwe got the same treatment. Various countries have stayed away from one event or another, even to the point of disciplining players who choose to break a boycott.
So, do you think they have any effect??
OTOH, do you think world sporting events can have a positive effect?? For instance, while India and Pakistan may have a love/hate relationship, they can still feel they've done the other over after a game of cricket... Can a country get some sort of 'satisfaction' on a football field?
Many centuries ago, sports (or better yet, games) were created as a way for countries to resove disputes without actually going to war. This is so noted in history books.
Rivalry developed, and athetes were raised to excel at their favorite sports. In my youth, I still remember seen movies of the football game between some of Hitler "superman" soldiers (arayans supremacy) versus Allied prisioners of war, and Germany was defeated, at quite a lost of "face".
Sometimes they do have a positive effect, but unfortunately, too many times politics get involved wiuth games, and even funny laws are passed to create better positions, like the way China counts the age of their athetes, sore subject for many gymnastic athetes.
Shining_brow:
Oh?? What's the deal with the Chinese athletes?? Is it the old "my next birthday is my 18th, so I'm 18 now" deal??