tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/olympics-3201/articlesOlympics – The Conversation2024-03-21T02:25:09Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2261212024-03-21T02:25:09Z2024-03-21T02:25:09ZRecovering after a false start? What’s the state of play for Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic and Paralympic planning?<p>When Queensland premier Steven Miles announced Brisbane’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/18/queensland-premier-steven-miles-rejects-plan-for-multi-billion-dollar-olympic-stadium-in-brisbane">Lang Park</a> (sponsored name Suncorp Stadium) as the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, he hoped, no doubt, it might finally lay to rest speculation about all the proposed Olympic venues and especially the Brisbane Cricket Ground (Gabba) rebuild. </p>
<p>But what does this mean more generally for the Games’ budget and for the legacy it will leave for Brisbane and south-east Queensland?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-can-you-tell-if-hosting-the-olympics-or-commonwealth-games-offers-value-for-money-here-are-our-expert-tips-210161">How can you tell if hosting the Olympics or Commonwealth games offers value for money? Here are our expert tips</a>
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<h2>The Olympics’ ‘new norm’</h2>
<p>The Olympic Games are famous for <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344409066_Regression_to_the_Tail_Why_the_Olympics_Blow_Up">cost blowouts</a> – every Olympics host since 1960 has spent significantly more than initial estimates, with an average spend of about 2.5 times the original budget. </p>
<p>These budget blowouts, and the cost of bidding simply to host the Games, have led to widespread criticism of the mega event. </p>
<p>In response to pressure to become more sustainable, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) introduced a series of reforms called the “new norm”. The IOC’s <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/new-norm">new norm</a> was designed to reduce the costs of staging the Games by reducing the amount of new infrastructure required and encouraging the use of temporary and reusable venues. </p>
<p>These “new norm” principles are what made the Brisbane bid a more affordable and realistic proposal. </p>
<p>Since securing the Games in July 2021, there has been increasing public debate about whether the state government is keeping to these principles and can deliver a sustainable, legacy-driven event on budget.</p>
<h2>Queensland’s stadium sagas</h2>
<p>Brisbane’s <a href="https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/International-Olympic-Committee/Commissions/Future-host-commission/The-Games-of-The-Olympiad/Brisbane-2032-FHC-Questionnaire-Response.pdf">IOC Future Host Commission Questionnaire Response</a>, in effect the bid document, projected costs of A$4-5 billion, plus an additional $7.1 billion spend on infrastructure. This included using a refurbished Gabba as the main Olympic venue. </p>
<p>However, the former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk very quickly introduced a controversial plan to knock down and rebuild the Gabba from scratch. </p>
<p>Following strong criticism, Miles in December 2023 moved to commission an independent <a href="https://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0029/87581/sport-venue-review-23.pdf">Sport Venue Review</a> led by former Brisbane lord mayor Graham Quirk. </p>
<p>The report was released on March 18, and although the Queensland government accepted 27 of the 30 recommendations, one of its most significant was rejected. Controversially and seemingly in contradiction to the “new norm” principles, the review recommended building an entirely new stadium on a greenfield site at Victoria Park. </p>
<p>It also recommended the demolition of the Gabba once the new stadium was complete.</p>
<p>Miles was quick to rule out that recommendation, revealing he had been working for some weeks on an alternative proposal, instead announcing Suncorp Stadium would be the main stadium hosting the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies. </p>
<p>In another snub for the Quirk Review, it was also announced the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC) would be upgraded and serve as the venue for the athletics despite the review finding such as upgrade would not offer legacy benefits.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">There’s no shortage of opinions on the plans for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.</span></figcaption>
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<p>The choice of Suncorp Stadium appears to be a win for the “new norm”, as it saves around $3.4 billion that was earmarked for the Gabba rebuild, while using an existing venue that will remain as a legacy asset. </p>
<p>Revamping QSAC is also broadly in keeping with new norm principles if it provides a substantially upgraded asset for the community post-Games. </p>
<p>However, using Suncorp is not cost-neutral, with Miles suggesting that if upgrades cost <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-19/2032-brisbane-olympics-stadiums-lang-park-paralympic-games/103601744">upwards of $1 billion</a>, this would be shared “roughly half-half” between Suncorp and the Gabba.</p>
<p>QSAC will also require a significant makeover to bring it up to standard and the venue is currently poorly served by public transport, and likely requiring further investment to enhance noted accessibility issues. </p>
<p>Additionally, costs will remain associated with the upkeep of the Gabba, described by the Quirk review as an “end-of-life” venue. </p>
<p>The Gabba is currently in desperate need of a refurbishment as it is not compliant with modern building codes, particularly in terms of accessibility for people with disabilities. The Queensland government has promised a “modest” refurbishment in consultation with stakeholders (AFL and Cricket Australia) in the range of $500 million. </p>
<p>The longer-term question still to be addressed is whether the redevelopment of these venues will provide Queensland with world class facilities that provide optimal long-term benefits for the community?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/in-a-year-of-sporting-mega-events-the-brisbane-olympics-can-learn-a-lot-from-the-ones-that-fail-their-host-cities-187838">In a year of sporting mega-events, the Brisbane Olympics can learn a lot from the ones that fail their host cities</a>
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<h2>Lessons and next steps</h2>
<p>What lessons can we draw from this recent experience? </p>
<p>Planning and development of major sporting events is always intensely political. </p>
<p>While it is crucial to avoid majorly expensive venues that will be rarely used after the Games, the IOC’s new norm should not necessarily mean entirely new venues are out of scope for host cities. </p>
<p>New venues may well align with new norm principles if they strongly support the long-term development plans of the host city and provide lasting community use after the Games have come and gone. </p>
<p>In the case of Brisbane 2032, getting the independent coordination authority set up is an urgent priority to provide a solid governance model for planning, design and construction of the proposed venues. </p>
<p>After something of a false start, we can ill afford further delays.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226121/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leonie Lockstone-Binney receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the International Olympic Committee.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Judith Mair receives funding from the International Olympic Committee</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kirsten Holmes receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the International Olympic Committee. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Burton is a member of the Planning Institute of Australia and the Urban Development Institute of Australia. He receives funding from the City of Gold Coast and participated in the closing ceremony of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.</span></em></p>Queensland premier Steven Miles is walking a tightrope in trying to deliver a spectacular yet sustainable, legacy-driven 2032 Brisbane Olympics.Leonie Lockstone-Binney, Professor, Griffith UniversityJudith Mair, Associate Professor, The University of QueenslandKirsten Holmes, Professor, School of Management and Marketing, Curtin UniversityPaul Burton, Professor of Urban Management & Planning, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2254132024-03-14T13:28:27Z2024-03-14T13:28:27ZParis 2024: conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East threaten to turn the Olympic Games into a geopolitical battleground<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581622/original/file-20240313-30-xbar5f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C0%2C3935%2C2854&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/paris-france-23-september-2017-olympic-736128922">Keitma/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Summer Olympic Games will return to Paris this July exactly a century after it last took place in France. Paris is the hometown of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pierre-baron-de-Coubertin">Pierre de Coubertin</a>, the founder of the modern Olympic Games. </p>
<p>When Coubertin first conceived the revival of this ancient Greek tradition in the late 19th century, he imagined a scene where nations celebrated friendly internationalism by playing sports together. His Olympic idealism provides the foundation for the <a href="https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/General/EN-Olympic-Charter.pdf">Olympic charter</a>, a set of rules and guidelines for the organisation of the Olympic Games that emphasise international fraternity and solidarity. </p>
<p>In 1992, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) moved to uphold Coubertin’s legacy by renewing the tradition of the <a href="https://olympictruce.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/IOTC-2010-Brochure-EN.pdf">sacred truce</a> associated with the ancient Olympics. The Olympic truce calls for the cessation of hostilities between warring nations during the Olympic Games and beyond. </p>
<p>The Olympic truce has contributed to peace before – albeit only fleetingly. During the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the South and North Korean delegations marched into the stadium <a href="https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/News/2018/2018-01-20-Declaration.pdf">together</a> under the single flag of the Korean peninsula. They also fielded a unified Korean ice hockey team for this competition. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-winter-olympics-and-the-two-koreas-how-sport-diplomacy-could-save-the-world-89769">The Winter Olympics and the two Koreas: how sport diplomacy could save the world</a>
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<p>The IOC <a href="https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/News/2023/10/14/2023-10-14-IOC-Session-Mumbai-Bach-Opening-speech.pdf">hopes</a> that the forthcoming Olympics will be a moment for world peace. But with the Paris Olympic torch relay starting next month, the world is plagued with conflict and animosity. And tensions in eastern Europe and the Middle East show no sign of easing. </p>
<p>The 2024 Olympics will take place amid geopolitical turmoil. These conflicts will affect the Olympic Games and throw into question the capacity of sport to reduce tension between nations. </p>
<h2>Banned Russian athletes</h2>
<p>Moscow ordered its army to invade Ukraine four days after the end of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The IOC considered this aggression a violation of the Olympic truce and subsequently <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/media/q-a-on-solidarity-with-ukraine-sanctions-against-russia-and-belarus-and-the-status-of-athletes-from-these-countries">banned</a> Russian athletes from participating in the Paris Olympic Games.</p>
<p>Russia was unhappy with this decision. It <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/iocs-ban-russia-cannot-be-compared-with-israel-situation-2023-11-03/">condemned</a> the IOC as being biased towards the west and even appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the suspension. But in February 2024, the court eventually <a href="https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/CAS_Award_10093.pdf">upheld</a> the IOC’s position.</p>
<p>Russian athletes will not be absent from the Olympics. The IOC allows them to take part in the competition not as a state delegation but as neutral individuals. Ukraine finds this situation unacceptable, <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/media/q-a-on-solidarity-with-ukraine-sanctions-against-russia-and-belarus-and-the-status-of-athletes-from-these-countries">arguing</a> that neutrality cannot remove Russian identity from the Olympics.</p>
<p>The IOC has denounced the Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories. But it also admits the complexity of this geopolitical conflict, and acknowledges that its best approach would be to keep impartiality on this matter. Ukraine responded by implementing a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-olympics-russia-boycott-paris-569d1c75d5e6c835016dd41f1b10c217">policy</a> for its athletes to boycott any contests involving Russians at Paris 2024, although it later lifted this rule. </p>
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<img alt="Three helicopters flying over a war-damaged city." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581616/original/file-20240313-18-ptcldi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581616/original/file-20240313-18-ptcldi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581616/original/file-20240313-18-ptcldi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581616/original/file-20240313-18-ptcldi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581616/original/file-20240313-18-ptcldi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581616/original/file-20240313-18-ptcldi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581616/original/file-20240313-18-ptcldi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The Russian assault on the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in 2022 left thousands of civilians dead and injured.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/war-ukraine-huge-damage-cause-by-2156014785">BY MOVIE/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<h2>Unhappy Russians</h2>
<p>The war between Israel and Hamas will further complicate the 2024 Olympics, with Olympic officials poised to face allegations of inconsistency concerning Israeli athletes. </p>
<p>This conflict is no less brutal than the war between Ukraine and Russia. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 30,000 people have been <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68430925">killed</a> in Gaza since the start of the war. And there is also <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/damning-evidence-of-war-crimes-as-israeli-attacks-wipe-out-entire-families-in-gaza">evidence</a> that Israeli forces have committed war crimes in the Gaza Strip. </p>
<p>However, the resolution for the Olympic truce of Paris 2024 singles out the suspension of Russia and does not contain a single word on the violence in Israel and Palestine. </p>
<p>These two warring parties can participate in the Olympics – though the strict <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/07/gaza-who-lives-there-and-why-it-has-been-blockaded-for-so-long">blockade</a> of the Gaza Strip will make it hard for Palestinians to take part in the games. But the Russian delegation is prevented from taking part in the same competition. Russia considers this discrepancy unfair and again blames Olympic officials for siding with the west.</p>
<p>Israel and its allies are seemingly very vocal within the Olympic circle. In October 2023, the IOC <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-member-elections-lead-to-increased-female-representation-among-the-membership">offered</a> Yeal Arad, who in 1992 became the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal, their prestigious membership. When accepting this privileged appointment, she <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1141836/arad-comments-after-elected">urged</a> the Israeli athletes to give inspiration and hope to their fellow citizens suffering from the tragedy. </p>
<p>At the same IOC session, Cassy Wasserman, the chairperson of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, also declared himself “proud to be Jewish” before his speech. </p>
<p>The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will take place amid conflict and contention. The Olympic truce and the neutrality of international sport is the idealism of the IOC. Not only that, it volunteers to be a messenger of world peace.</p>
<p>Can Paris 2024 be a catalyst for this vision? Unfortunately, the capacity of the Olympics to act as a festival of peaceful internationalism will inevitably be curtailed in this period of geopolitical turmoil. </p>
<p>Despite the facade of festivity in Paris, the escalation of hostilities around the world is likely to trouble the Olympic Games in the French capital.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225413/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jung Woo Lee does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Olympic Games have also been highly political events – Paris 2024 will be no different.Jung Woo Lee, Lecturer in Sport and Leisure Policy, The University of EdinburghLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2221182024-02-21T14:25:06Z2024-02-21T14:25:06ZDoes hosting the Olympics, the World Cup or other major sports events really pay off?<p>After a long battle, <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240213-paris-booksellers-stay-olympics-macron-bouquiniste-france">Paris’s beloved <em>bouquinistes</em> will be staying put</a> this summer. The decision, announced on 13 February by the French government, came after considerable public backlash to the police prefecture’s original plan to move part of the iconic Seine booksellers elsewhere for the inauguration of the Olympics Games on 26 July.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, less than six months away from the event, Parisians continue to grumble over a <a href="https://www.ouest-france.fr/jeux-olympiques/cest-aberrant-ce-maire-vient-dapprendre-que-sa-ville-accueillera-les-jeux-de-paris-ab1fa968-cfd1-11ee-89c0-6cefac77e04a">lack of consultations</a> with locals, warnings of <a href="https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20231130-paris-vehicle-traffic-to-be-heavily-restricted-during-2024-olympic-games">gridlocked traffic</a>, closed metro stations, extensive video surveillance and other grievances. So for host countries, what was the point of the Olympics, again?</p>
<p>In academia, the debate about the potential positive and negative effects of large-scale sporting events is ongoing. Although these events are often associated with substantial economic losses, the long-term benefits are the main argument in favour of hosting them. These include the development of material and soft infrastructure such as hotels, restaurants or parks. Big games can also help put the host region on the map as an attractive place for sports and cultural events, and inspire a better entrepreneurial climate.</p>
<h2>The pros and the cons of big sporting events?</h2>
<p>The cost of these benefits, as the Parisians have realised, is steep. Host countries appear to suffer from increased tax burdens, low returns on public investments, high construction costs, and onerous running cost of facilities after the event. Communities can also be blighted by noise, pollution, and damage to the environment, while increased criminal activity and potential conflicts between locals and visitors can take a toll on their quality of life. As a result, in the recent past several major cities, including Rome and Hamburg, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/6-cities-that-rejected-the-olympics/a-46289852">withdrew their bids to host the games</a>.</p>
<p>A common feature of the economics of large-scale sporting events is that our expectations of them are more optimistic than what we make of them once they have taken place. Typically, expenditure tends to tip over the original budget, while the revenue-side indicators (such as the number of visitors) are rarely achieved.</p>
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<span class="caption">Host regions typically have to jump through many hoops before they can begin to enjoy the benefits from large-scale sporting events such as the Olympics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Peter Skitterians/Pixabay</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<p>When analysing the effect of hosting large-scale sporting events on tourist visits, it is important to take into consideration both the positive and negative components of the overall effect. While positive effects may be associated with visitors, negative effects may arise when “regular” tourists refuse to visit the location due to the event. This might be because of overloaded infrastructure, sharp increases in accommodation costs, and inconveniences associated with overcrowding or raucous or/and violent visitors. On top of that, reports of poverty or crime in the global media can actually undermine the location’s attractiveness.</p>
<h2>When big sporting events crowd out regular tourists</h2>
<p>In an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1527002523120639">article published in the <em>Journal of Sports Economics</em></a> with Igor Drapkin and Ilya Zverev, I assess the effects of hosting large-scale sporting events, such as Winter and Summer Olympics plus FIFA World Cups, on international tourist visits. We utilise a comprehensive dataset on flow of tourists covering the world’s largest destination and origin countries between 1995 and 2019. As a first step, we built an econometric model that effectively predicts the flow of tourists between any pair of countries in our data. Subsequently we compared the predicted tourist inflow in a hypothetical scenario where no large-scale sporting event would have taken place with the actual figures. If the actual figures exceed the predicted ones, we consider the event to have a net positive impact. Otherwise, we consider that it had a “crowding out” effect on “regular” tourists. While conducting this analysis, we distinguished between short-term (i.e., focusing just on the year of the event) and mid-term (year of the event plus three subsequent years).</p>
<p>Our results show that the effects of large-scale sporting events vary a lot across host countries: The World Cup in Japan and South Korea 2002 and South Africa 2010 were associated with a distinct increase in tourist arrivals, whereas all other World Cups were either neutral or negative. Among the Summer Olympics, China in 2008 is the only case with a significant positive effect on tourist inflows. The effects of the other four events (Australia 2000, Greece 2004, Great Britain 2012, and Brazil 2016) were found to be negative in the short- and medium-term. As for the Winter Olympics, the only positive case is Russia in 2014. The remaining five events had a negative impact except the one-year neutral effect for Japan 1998.</p>
<p>Following large-scale sporting events, host countries are therefore typically less visited by tourists. Out of the 18 hosting countries studied, 11 saw tourist numbers decline over four years, and three did not experience a significant change.</p>
<h2>The case for cautious optimism</h2>
<p>Our research indicates that the positive effect of hosting large-scale sporting events on tourist inflows is, at best, moderate. While many tourists are attracted by FIFA World Cups and Olympic games, the crowding-out effect of “regular” tourists is strong and often underestimated. This implies that tourists visiting for an event like the Olympics typically dissuade those who would have come for other reasons. Thus, efforts to attract new visitors should be accompanied by efforts to retain the already existing ones.</p>
<p>Large-scale sporting events should be considered as part of a long-term policy for promoting a territory to tourists rather than a standalone solution. Revealingly, our results indicate that it is easier to get a net increase in tourist inflows in countries that are less frequent destinations for tourists – for example, those in Asia or Africa. By contrast, the United States and Europe, both of which are traditionally popular with tourists, have no single case of a net positive effect. Put differently, the large-scale sporting events in Asia and Africa helped promote their host countries as tourist destinations, making the case for the initial investment. In the US and Europe, however, those in the last few decades brought little return, at least in terms of tourist inflow.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222118/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span> This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant number 19-18-00262).</span></em></p>Do big sporting events such as the Olympics help boost tourist numbers in the long run? It all depends on where they take place, according to research.Ivan Savin, Associate professor of quantitative analytics, research fellow at ICTA-UAB, ESCP Business SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2212892024-01-30T20:37:34Z2024-01-30T20:37:34ZFrom ancient Greece to now, the bravado of athletes transcends centuries<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571296/original/file-20240124-17-4eykqg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=189%2C0%2C3327%2C2059&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ancient bas-relief on grave stele in Kerameikos in Athens, Greece depicting two wrestlers in action.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/from-ancient-greece-to-now-the-bravado-of-athletes-transcends-centuries" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>“I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was. I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I was really the greatest.” This <a href="https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/15930888/muhammad-ali-10-best-quotes">quote from Muhammad Ali</a> summarizes his legendary wit. But it also indicates the self-confidence and attitude that characterizes so many athletes.</p>
<p>Since the beginning of sport media coverage on radio and television, and now with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CwcjaSGArUq/?img_index=1">social media</a> providing intimate access to athletes, it has been clear that boasts, attitudes and confidence are part of the athlete persona. These attitudes, however, are nothing new. </p>
<p>Sport as it is practised around the globe has its origins in a <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/sport-9781350140202/">partially real and partially imaginary ancient Greece</a>. Similarly, the literary and documentary records from antiquity show that the attitudes of athletes are not a new phenomenon.</p>
<p>Ancient Greek athletes, however, faced a challenge unlike modern athletes. Without the internet, television, radio or any widespread means of communication, athletes had to struggle to make their success known and easily communicated to a broad public. </p>
<h2>Songs of victory</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571330/original/file-20240125-23-jhtqbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A white sculpture of a naked young man with a strip of cloth held in his left hand. The right arm is broken at the wrist." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571330/original/file-20240125-23-jhtqbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571330/original/file-20240125-23-jhtqbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=817&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571330/original/file-20240125-23-jhtqbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=817&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571330/original/file-20240125-23-jhtqbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=817&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571330/original/file-20240125-23-jhtqbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1027&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571330/original/file-20240125-23-jhtqbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1027&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571330/original/file-20240125-23-jhtqbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1027&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fragments of a marble statue of the Diadoumenos (a youth tying a fillet around his head after victory in an athletic contest).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(The Metropolitan Museum of Art)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Unlike today’s elite athletes, athletes in antiquity were far less interested in highlighting sporting prowess. Athletic boasts <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-5370.12068">rarely focused on how quickly someone ran</a>, how easily they defeated an opponent in wrestling or how far they threw the discus. </p>
<p>Rather, athletes modified <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/in-praise-of-greek-athletes/605B9251CD2411DF810486AAF10A033F">the proclamation of victory</a> — an announcement made by a herald at athletic games, like the Olympics, that actually made them the victor. This proclamation is akin to the contemporary medal ceremony, but with more ritual and religious authority. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.academia.edu/1874218/_The_Heralds_and_the_Games_in_Archaic_and_Classical_Greece_Nikephoros_15_2002_69_97">The proclamation contained everything necessary to celebrate an athlete</a>: his name, father’s name, city of origin and the event in which he was successful. </p>
<p>The proclamation is referred to time and time again in the epinikian poetry of Pindar, an Ancient Greek poet from Thebes. Epinikian poetry consists of songs composed for a victory, as the word “epinikian,” which translates to “upon a victory,” indicates.</p>
<p>In the <a href="https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0162%3Abook%3DN.%3Apoem%3D5">opening of Pindar’s Nemean 5</a>, composed for an athlete named Pytheas, the herald’s proclamation is nearly repeated. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Sweet song, go on every merchant-ship and rowboat that leaves Aegina, and announce that Lampon’s powerful son Pytheas won the victory garland for the <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/ancient-olympic-games/pankration">pancratium</a> at the Nemean games, a boy whose cheeks do not yet show the tender season that is mother to the dark blossom.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is a relatively simple representation of the herald. Still, the conceit of the song — that this message will go forth everywhere by means of word-of-mouth on ships — shows the determination of athletes to make their accomplishments known. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0162%3Abook%3DO.%3Apoem%3D8">Olympian 8</a>, Pindar’s song claims the authority that comes from a supposed eye witness. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“He was beautiful to look at, and his deeds did not belie his beauty when by his victory in wrestling he had Aegina with her long oars proclaimed as his fatherland.” </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Ancient Greek epigrams</h2>
<p>It’s not only in epinikian song that boasts and accomplishments appear. Dozens of epigrams (poems inscribed on stone) remain from ancient Greece. Many of these leverage the proclamation, and many claim special success. </p>
<p>One simple example is that of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110863543">Drymos</a>, who won a running event at the Olympics in the early fourth century BC and erected a statue with an inscribed poem. “Drymos, son of Theodoros, proclaimed here, on that very day, / an Olympic contest, running into the famous grove of the god, / an example of manliness; equine Argos is my homeland.”</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571341/original/file-20240125-23-hm34m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A weathered piece of stone with ancient Greek inscribed on the surface" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571341/original/file-20240125-23-hm34m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571341/original/file-20240125-23-hm34m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571341/original/file-20240125-23-hm34m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571341/original/file-20240125-23-hm34m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571341/original/file-20240125-23-hm34m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571341/original/file-20240125-23-hm34m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571341/original/file-20240125-23-hm34m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A statue base from ancient Olympia inscribed with an epigram in honour of the victory of Kyniska of Sparta in the four-horse chariot race of 396 BC.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Peter J. Miller)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Still, these seemingly simple poems often include much more. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110863543">Kyniska of Sparta’s epigram</a>, one of the only epigrams for a victory by a woman in this period, is a good example. “Spartan kings are my fathers and brothers, / but, victorious with a chariot of swift-footed horses, / Kyniska set up this statue. And I declare that I alone / of women from all of Greece seized this crown.”</p>
<p>Kyniska’s epigram focuses on her and her singular achievement. Its boast is unique, but the rhetoric is not. It points to the ways in which ancient athletes established records and competed with their counterparts.</p>
<h2>We’re not so different</h2>
<p>Rather than counting statistical achievements, ancient athletic records tend to be of the type <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/9781474469920-023">“the first with the most.”</a> Perhaps most telling is the massive inscription and poem celebrating the career of the most successful athlete from antiquity, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110863543">Theogenes of Thasos</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571343/original/file-20240125-15-qpq0ml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An ancient Greek vase depicting five men, drawn in black ink, running against a terracotta background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571343/original/file-20240125-15-qpq0ml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571343/original/file-20240125-15-qpq0ml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571343/original/file-20240125-15-qpq0ml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571343/original/file-20240125-15-qpq0ml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571343/original/file-20240125-15-qpq0ml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571343/original/file-20240125-15-qpq0ml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571343/original/file-20240125-15-qpq0ml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora from 530 BC.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(The Metropolitan Museum of Art)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This poem builds from the proclamation to claim his incredible supremacy by winning boxing and pancration at Olympia, something “no one” had done before. He also won three victories at the Pythian Games without competition (that is, his prospective opponents chose not to bother), something “no other mortal man” had done. Last, he won two crowns at the Isthmian Games on the same day. </p>
<p>All of these accomplishments were memorialized in poetry and inscribed on stone, along with a massive catalogue of his victories across a 20-year athletic career.</p>
<p>So, as the world prepares for another Olympic year, with television networks focusing on competition between athletes, and as the social media profiles of athletes themselves turn to vaunts, boasts and rivalry, we can reflect on the notion that athletics and athletes seem intrinsically connected to these attitudes. </p>
<p>There are, it seems, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7312/gutt13340">vanishingly few continuities between the sports cultures of classical antiquity and those of today</a>. Nonetheless, the attitudes of ancient and modern athletes remain, at their core, so very similar, despite massive change over millenia.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221289/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter J. Miller receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p>Without the internet, television, radio or any widespread means of communication, ancient Greek athletes had to struggle to make their success known and easily communicated to a broad public.Peter J. Miller, Associate Professor of Classics, University of WinnipegLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2170402024-01-17T19:50:11Z2024-01-17T19:50:11ZBig dreams and high demands: The mental health challenges of elite youth athletes<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569667/original/file-20240116-25-tskkz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=215%2C17%2C5775%2C3889&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A recent study found that 41 per cent of Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes met the criteria for one or more mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety or eating disorders.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Elite sport poses several unique pressures that can impact athletes’ mental health. </p>
<p>Demanding travel schedules and intense <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410500131480">competition pressures</a> can lead to negative emotional experiences. Athletes can <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-096731">become injured</a>, or they may be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2017.04.018">uncertain about their future career</a> in sport. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, some athletes may also face <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605211045096">physical, psychological or sexual abuse</a> in their sport. </p>
<h2>Pressures of elite sport</h2>
<p>Research has shown that elite athletes can experience mental health issues at rates equal to or higher than the general population. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.102018">recent study</a> found that 41 per cent of Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes surveyed met the criteria for one or more mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety or eating disorders. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01266-z">Another study</a> involving Australian elite athletes revealed that they were nearly twice as likely to experience significant psychological distress compared to the broader community.</p>
<p>Even though elite athletes often have many resources to support them, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000319">they may feel it is hard to reach out and ask for help</a>. When left untreated, mental health challenges and performance pressures can lead to athletes feeling burned out or wanting to drop out of their sport, and they may even experience <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-101386">feelings of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts</a>. </p>
<p>Young people engaged in elite sport might be at even greater risk. </p>
<h2>Who are elite youth athletes?</h2>
<p>Reaching the highest levels of performance often requires athletes to <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2017.1324503">specialize</a> in their sport during their teenage years, and <a href="https://olympics.com/en/news/age-number-youngest-olympians-2021-tokyo-2020-athletes">several athletes competing at the Olympic Games are adolescents</a>. There are numerous clubs, leagues and <a href="https://sportpourlavie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sport-Schools-in-Canada.pdf">schools</a> that focus on elite youth sport specialization, and there will be 1,900 athletes taking part in the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/gangwon-2024/">Youth Olympic Games</a> Jan. 19 to Feb. 1, 2024. </p>
<p>Clearly, youth athletes are already competing at elite levels or hope to reach elite levels in their sport.</p>
<p>While the term “elite youth athlete” can be tricky to define, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381231219230">we use the term</a> to describe youth athletes who are training in sport settings that have a primary focus on achieving superior performance, with the explicit or implicit goal of moving to adult elite, collegiate or professional sports. </p>
<p>Elite youth sport environments may prioritize spending time on sport activities instead of school or relationships with friends outside of sport. These settings can provide the training and specialized skills needed to become an elite performer, but they may also pose risks to the mental health of young athletes.</p>
<h2>Mental health among elite youth athletes</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A swimmer training alone in a pool" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Perfectionism is common among athletes, and strongly linked with poor mental health outcomes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash/Jonathan Chng)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some pressures that are unique to elite youth athletes include early specialization and over-training, having critical or demanding coaches and parents, poor sleep, and trying to balance educational and social needs with increasingly professionalized sporting demands. <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-pressuring-young-athletes-to-perform-well-does-them-harm-186699">These factors can all affect the well-being of youth elite athletes</a>. </p>
<p>Perhaps especially related to elite sport, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-perfectionism-became-a-hidden-epidemic-among-young-people-89405">young people around the world are reporting unprecedented levels of perfectionism</a>. Perfectionism is common among athletes, and strongly linked with poor mental health outcomes. </p>
<p>Beyond the pressures of elite sport environments, young people experience the heaviest burden of mental ill-health. For young people around the world, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01161-7">the peak age at onset for a mental health disorder is 15, and approximately half of these disorders occur before the age of 18</a>. There are many reasons why young people’s mental health is at such high risk, including increasingly troubling <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-023-02300-x">global conflicts and climate change</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105772">parental unemployment</a>, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.3885">economic prospects</a>. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-harming-childrens-mental-health-and-this-is-just-the-start-168070">Climate change is harming children’s mental health – and this is just the start</a>
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<p>Compared to the body of research on mental health among <em>adult</em> athletes, there is limited research exploring this issue among elite <em>youth</em> athletes. Currently, we do not have adequate data to reliably report on the prevalence of mental health disorders among elite youth athletes. </p>
<p>One exception is the topic of eating disorders, with a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsampl.2023.100040">recent review</a> suggesting that elite youth athletes may be at increased risk compared to non-elite youth athletes, and compared to young people more broadly. </p>
<p>Considering the unique challenges faced by adolescents in elite sport, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-106352">there is a pressing need to support the mental health of elite youth athletes</a>.</p>
<h2>Closing the gap: Supporting elite youth athletes</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A skiier in mid-air" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some pressures that are unique to elite youth athletes include early specialization and over-training, having critical or demanding coaches and parents, poor sleep, and trying to balance educational and social needs with increasingly professionalized sporting demands.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash/Sebastian Staines)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A key focus for supporting the mental health of elite youth athletes involves creating youth sport contexts that are protective for mental health. Elite youth sports environments need to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01912-2">psychologically safe</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9050068">free from abuse and harassment</a>. </p>
<p>A large responsibility sits with parents and coaches, who must avoid overly critical or demanding behaviours and instead engage with young people in supportive ways. Sport organizations should <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.780359">prioritize well-being and healthy development</a> among youth athletes.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-02202-z">Early detection</a> is important to help elite youth athletes get the support they need. Warning signs of mental health concerns can include changes in an athlete’s emotions, mood, behaviours, sleep and appetite. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2017.11.008">Coaches and parents</a> play important roles in noticing changes in athletes’ mental health, and they can help by opening up conversations about mental health among youth athletes. </p>
<p>Listening without judgment, asking athletes what they think they might need, and offering to help them find places to seek support <a href="https://cmha.ca/brochure/talking-to-teens-about-mental-health/">are all helpful strategies when talking about mental health concerns</a>.</p>
<p>Elite youth athletes and their parents may benefit by seeking support from a psychologist, psychotherapist or psychiatrist who specializes in working with athletes. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13889">Much more work is needed</a> to understand the nature of mental health concerns among elite youth athletes. Given the unique demands and pressures of competing in elite sport environments and the challenges that youth face, it is imperative that we pay attention to the mental health needs of these young performers.</p>
<h2>Need support?</h2>
<p><a href="https://cmha.ca/find-help/">Canadian Mental Health Association </a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.ccmhs-ccsms.ca/mental-health-services/referrals">Canadian Center for Mental Health in Sport</a> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html">Canada Mental Health Support and Resources</a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217040/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine Tamminen is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and a Registered Psychotherapist. Her research is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Sport Canada, the Tanenbaum Institute for Science in Sport, and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Courtney Walton receives funding through an MSPS Academic Fellowship at the University of Melbourne. He has advised a number of elite sports codes and organisations nationally.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jordan Sutcliffe is an Assistant Professor at the Royal Military College of Canada. Some of his past research has been supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and he is currently involved on a project funded by the Tannenbuam Institute for Science in Sport.</span></em></p>Given the unique demands and pressures of competing in elite sport environments, it is imperative that we pay attention to elite youth athletes’ mental health needs.Katherine Tamminen, Associate Professor, Sport Psychology, University of TorontoCourtney C Walton, Academic Fellow & Psychologist, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of MelbourneJordan Sutcliffe, Assistant Professor, Military Psychology and Leadership, Royal Military College of CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2205912024-01-09T22:05:08Z2024-01-09T22:05:08ZHow security at the 1976 Montréal Summer Games set a precedent for future Olympics<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/how-security-at-the-1976-montreal-summer-games-set-a-precedent-for-future-olympics" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>With the countdown to the Paris 2024 Olympics in full swing, it’s an ideal time to reflect on legacies of past Olympic Games, including Canada’s past experiences hosting the Games. The legacy of the Montréal Olympic Games is especially relevant this year, as the city is hosting the Olympic trials for <a href="https://www.swimming.ca/en/2024-olympic-paralympic-trials-presented-by-bell-may-13-19-montreal-qc/">swimming</a> and <a href="https://athletics.ca/blog/2023/11/14/national-track-field-tour-returns-in-2024/">track and field</a>.</p>
<p>The Montréal 1976 Summer Olympics remains the <a href="https://www.mqup.ca/montreal-olympics--the-products-9780773535183.php">largest sporting event in Canadian history</a>. It is <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-canada-ever-host-another-olympics-if-not-dont-blame-the-1976-montreal-games-108465">remembered for many things</a>: it was <a href="https://historyofrights.ca/history/montreal-olympics">outrageously expensive</a>, costing over $1.5 billion. It took 40 years to pay off the debt, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal-remembers-1976-olympics-1.256829">despite Mayor Jean Drapeau’s claim</a> in 1970 that the “Olympics could no more have a deficit than a man could have a baby.”</p>
<p>The Olympic stadium was a disaster: it wasn’t even fully completed for the Games. The event saw gymnast Nadia Comaneci of Romania score a perfect 10, which remains one of the great feats of modern sports. The American team fielded the best boxing team in history. Women’s events were held for the first time in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/sports/montreal-olympics-photo-flashback-more-women-competed-thanks-to-three-new-events">basketball, handball and rowing</a>. </p>
<p>Canada set a record as well: it <a href="https://olympic.ca/games/1976-montreal/">earned a meagre 11 medals</a> and was the first host country to not win a gold. Taiwan, China and 29 African states <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/sports/montreal-olympics-african-boycott-of-1976-games-changed-the-world">boycotted the Games over apartheid South Africa</a>. Twelve men died during the construction of the venues.</p>
<p>Then there were the lesser-known events. The Montréal Fire Department, after hearing from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that Ukrainian protestors planned to strip down and burn Soviet flags, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2014.987342">greased flagpoles around the city with Vaseline</a> (one protestor was injured, and then arrested, in a failed flag-pole climbing incident).</p>
<p>The 1976 Olympics also marked a turning point in Olympic history: it was the first highly visible security operation, which has since become the norm for Olympic Games. After years of requests through the Access to Information Act, the <a href="https://historyofrights.ca/archives/montreal-olympics">RCMP released more than 50,000 pages of documents</a> on security planning for the Montréal Olympics that provide new insights into the scale and cost of securing the Games.</p>
<h2>The road to Montréal</h2>
<p>Most remember the Montréal Olympics as a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/jul/06/40-year-hangover-1976-olympic-games-broke-montreal-canada">financial disaster</a>. Soaring costs threatened to cancel the Games; Drapeau underestimated the cost so badly the National Assembly hauled him before an inquiry to explain the situation. </p>
<p>The Summer Olympics in Tokyo (1964, $9 million), Mexico City (1968, $12 million) and Munich (1972, $495 million) were dwarfed by the more than $1.5 billion spent in Montréal. </p>
<p>With the exception of Moscow (1980, $1.3 billion), subsequent Games in Los Angeles (1984, $408 million) and Seoul (1988, $531 million) were nowhere near as costly. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/019372357800200103">Unlike other host cities</a>, Montréal had little existing sports infrastructure and needed to build most of its venues.</p>
<p>Social services suffered and several projects had to be put on hold. For many years after the Olympics, Montréal was the only major city in North America that was still <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/019372357800200103">dumping waste into adjacent waterways</a>.</p>
<h2>Heightened fear of terrorism</h2>
<p>Olympics security had not been a serious preoccupation before Montréal. By the 1970s, though, the Games were taking place amid a heightened fear of international and domestic terrorism. </p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/">Global Terrorism Database</a>, there were at least 4,340 terrorist attacks between 1970 and 1976. In the previous five years, two dozen diplomats around the world had been kidnapped, and six others assassinated. </p>
<p>In 1971 and 1972, there were at least 12 aircraft hijackings involving Canadian airlines (metal detectors were introduced in large numbers at airports in 1973). The <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/october-crisis">Front de libération du Québec</a> was responsible for numerous bombings, robberies and killings across Québec throughout the 1960s and the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/october-crisis">1970 October Crisis</a>.</p>
<p>In the United States, there were more incidents of domestic terrorism in the 1970s than any other period in history: at least 680 incidents compared to 282 in the 1980s (77 fatalities in the 1970s, 22 in the 1980s).</p>
<p>The Montréal Olympics also took place in the shadow of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Munich-Massacre">Munich massacre</a> — a terrorist attack carried out by the Palestinian militant group, Black September, against members of the Israeli Olympic team during the 1972 Summer Olympics. Eleven Israelis (including <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/massacre-begins-at-munich-olympics">nine hostages</a>), five of the terrorists and one policeman were killed in the incident.</p>
<p>Over five million people would attend the Summer Olympics in Montréal, more than Tokyo in 1964 and Munich in 1972. Such a massive gathering was bound to strain Canada’s limited security apparatus. It was uncommon for such a small country (25 million at the time) to host a Summer Olympics.</p>
<h2>The security operation</h2>
<p>The overall operation was impressive. A <a href="https://historyofrights.ca/wp-content/uploads/olympics/Final_Report_National_Security_Plan.pdf">security force of 17,224</a> included 8,940 Canadian Forces; 1,606 Montréal Urban Community Police; 1,376 RCMP; and 1,140 Sûreté du Québec. </p>
<p>Security personnel also included officers from the Metropolitan Toronto Police, Ontario Provincial Police, National Harbours Board Police, Manpower and Immigration, the Montréal Fire Department and 2,910 private security guards — all to protect fewer than 6,000 athletes. </p>
<p>Rather than spreading the Village across the city (as was the case in past Games), the Montréal Olympic Village was a towering 19-storey pyramidal structure with limited access and a 10-foot high wire fence. Athletes were driven to competition sites on buses with armed soldiers or police officers, while soldiers with automatic weapons patrolled the Village.</p>
<p><a href="https://historyofrights.ca/wp-content/uploads/olympics/Final_Report_National_Security_Plan.pdf">Security was provided for 13 competition sites and 27 training sites</a>, as well as the Village. The Sûreté du Québec alone drew officers from 47 detachments across the province scattered over six districts, and drove 1,462,159 miles in 26 vehicles (and 112 hours in helicopters) over the 46-day operation. </p>
<p>Military personnel who were assigned to assist the police were deputized as law enforcement officers, which authorized soldiers to arrest anyone breaking a law in the absence of police. </p>
<p>The federal government passed special immigration legislation allowing the minister of immigration to deport anyone who might engage in violence during the Olympics. It was an unusual statute: only one sentence, which gave the minister unfettered power to deport non-citizens with no right to appeal. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, local law enforcement was dramatically enhanced, including a squad of 24 officers to police pickpockets. The crime rate in Montréal <a href="https://historyofrights.ca/wp-content/uploads/olympics/COJOReport1976.pdf">dropped by more than 20 per cent during the Games</a>.</p>
<h2>The cost of security</h2>
<p>An initial <a href="https://historyofrights.ca/wp-content/uploads/olympics/Final_Report_RCMP2.pdf">federal budget of $14.3 million dollars for the RCMP</a> was later augmented to $23 million. In addition, the Department of National Defence estimated it cost the ministry $21 million to provide security for the Olympics. </p>
<p>The Montréal Olympic Committee paid $1.8 million for private security. The Montréal Urban Community Police also had a budget of $1.8 million for the Olympics (including regular salaries that would have been paid anyway). The Ontario Provincial Police paid an extra $1.9 million to have 350 officers provide security for the royal visit and sailing competitions in Kingston. </p>
<p>While there were some unknown costs, such as those for overtime pay and additional security, the <a href="https://historyofrights.ca/wp-content/uploads/olympics/Memo_Security_Service_Budget.pdf">total cost for security at the Montréal Olympics</a> was likely about $52 million (or $262 million in 2023 dollars). While this was small compared to the overall costs, it was dramatically higher than Munich’s paltry $2 million budget four years earlier. </p>
<p>The Montréal Olympics may be remembered for many things, but its most significant impact was inaugurating a new era of security planning for the Olympics. When Vancouver hosted the Games 34 years later, the estimated <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0967010614543582">cost of security</a> was over $1 billion. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/terrorism-cyber-attacks-main-paris-2024-threats-security-plan-finalised-2023-11-23/">security budget for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics</a> this summer is 320 million euros ($468.37 million) out of an overall budget of 8 billion euros ($11.7 billion). This is perhaps the most enduring legacy of the Montréal Olympics.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220591/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dominique Clément receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council</span></em></p>The 1976 Olympics marked a turning point in Olympic history: it was the first highly visible security operation, which has since become the norm for Olympic Games.Dominique Clément, Professor, Sociology, University of AlbertaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2196812024-01-07T12:37:16Z2024-01-07T12:37:16ZWhy we should take competitive video games more seriously<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564974/original/file-20231115-25-zcd5l2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C0%2C980%2C666&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Today, the esports industry is worth several billion dollars globally.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Is playing competitive video games a serious business? </p>
<p>There’s no question about it for the thousands of <a href="https://www.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/">League of Legends</a> fans who flocked to South Korea last October to attend the <a href="https://youtu.be/tHMcncCS-XE?si=KFfNbrcjaTSCaCB6">Worlds 2023</a> championships of this ultra-popular game. The grand prize? <a href="https://lol.fandom.com/wiki/2023_Season_World_Championship">US$2,225,000</a>. </p>
<p>The Worlds 2023 event, which is still largely unknown to the general public, provides an opportunity for video game law specialists such as ourselves to explain just why competitive video games should be taken more seriously. </p>
<h2>Esports: a global social, cultural and economic phenomenon</h2>
<p>While North American sports leagues such as the NHL and NFL are well known — as are major traditional sporting competitions such as the Football World Cup or the Olympic Games — the same cannot be said for video game competitions. And yet, there is a whole world of professional competitions in the video game universe. Like traditional sports, the competitive video games world has its own leagues, well-established international competitions, its share of famous athletes and <a href="https://mashable.com/video/esports-events-are-filling-stadiums">hordes of fans</a>. These are known as esports.</p>
<p>Esports can be described simply as video games played in a competitive environment.</p>
<p>Although esports do not always enjoy the same level of recognition as traditional sports, they represent a sector that has grown significantly <a href="https://youtu.be/B_59wZ27ROE?si=4OWyy6Klh40POwwJ">over the last 10 years</a> and regularly attracts <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/490480/global-esports-audience-size-viewer-type/">millions of simultaneous viewers</a>. </p>
<p>A huge variety of esports games are now played competitively. In games such as <a href="https://lolesports.com/">League of Legends</a> or <a href="https://www.dota2.com/home">Dota</a>, two teams of players compete in multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs). These action-strategy games are something like supercharged chess games in which the aim is to destroy the opposing base. </p>
<p>There are also a number of very popular first-person shooting games such as <a href="https://valorantesports.com/">Valorant</a>, <a href="https://pro.eslgaming.com/csgo/proleague/">CSGO</a>, <a href="https://overwatchworldcup.com/en-us/">Overwatch</a> and <a href="https://www.fortnite.com/competitive">Fortnite</a>. </p>
<p>In short, when it comes to esports, there’s something for everyone, including those who prefer to (virtually!) play <a href="https://www.ea.com/en-ca/sports">traditional sports</a>.</p>
<h2>A booming sector</h2>
<p>In terms of viewership and popularity, the esports industry has <a href="https://www.insiderintelligence.com/insights/esports-ecosystem-market-report/">started to overtake traditional sports</a> in the past 10 years. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to this phenomenon.</p>
<p>Esports has also seen the emergence of internationally renowned superstars such as <a href="https://youtu.be/wU-1ZaT0hIg?si=vLKp_Krn37NSmKFV">Faker</a>, an athlete often considered the <a href="https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3236384/asian-games-2023-south-koreas-league-legends-esports-gold-without-goat-faker-earns-military-service">greatest League of Legends player of all time</a> thanks to his huge victories and consistent success over the past decade.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1544343462476402688"}"></div></p>
<p>Today, the esports industry is worth <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/490522/global-esports-market-revenue/#:%7E:text=The%20term%20%22eSports%22%20is%20characterized,over%201.38%20billion%20U.S.%20dollars.">several billion dollars globally.</a></p>
<p>So it’s worth asking if esports will come to be recognized alongside traditional sports, or even have organized events as part of the Olympic Games?</p>
<p>It’s certainly possible. Esports are becoming more popular and have recently been added to the programs of major regional and international competitions. Several esports games have been included as demonstration events at the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/news/esports-historic-medal-debut-19th-asian-games-hangzhou-schedule-live">Asian Games since 2018</a> and were on the official program of the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/news/asian-games-2023-overall-medal-table-complete-list">2023 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China</a>. <a href="https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/10/600_360240.html">South Korea won the gold medal</a> in the League of Legends competition at these games, which led to Faker getting a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/korean-gamers-cusp-gold-avoiding-military-service-2023-09-28/">rare exemption from South Korea’s compulsory military service</a>. This exemption demonstrates how much recognition esports athletes are getting today in certain countries.</p>
<p>Regarding the inclusion of esports in the Olympics, video games were included as part of the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/esports/">Olympic Esports Series</a> in 2023. The event is organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).</p>
<p>This committee, which explores ways to rejuvenate the image of the Olympic Games and attract new audiences, has also initiated discussions about the <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-president-announces-plans-to-create-olympic-esports-games-at-opening-of-141st-ioc-session-in-mumbai">creation of an esports Olympic Games</a>.</p>
<h2>Career opportunities, but little support infrastructure</h2>
<p>Much like traditional sports, the opportunity to get involved in esports isn’t reserved exclusively for professional gamers who compete in official events.</p>
<p>As with any competitive event, professional management and support teams are essential for achieving a high performance level.</p>
<p>That means the development of electronic sports has opened up a <a href="https://esportslane.com/esports-job-profiles-non-gaming/">vast field of career possibilities</a> for game enthusiasts: as event organizers and managers, specialized journalists, nutritionists, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/beijing-winter-olympics-athlete-mental-health-1.6348932">consultants in mental preparation</a>, physiotherapists and even lawyers to organize the relationships between all these actors.</p>
<p>However, despite the popularity and immense potential of electronic sports, Canada lacks infrastructure and programs. This is especially obvious within educational institutions, places which nevertheless have many young fans of this booming industry.</p>
<p>Ideally, infrastructure suitable for esports should include high-performance computers, a dedicated esports room, a support team, intercollegiate competitions and, above all, an atmosphere that promotes the inclusion and participation of all in esports.</p>
<p>Some post-secondary institutions have created spaces on their campuses dedicated to esports. These spaces contribute to student recruitment. This is the case, for example, of <a href="https://www.stclaircollege.ca/news/2022/nexus-esports-arena-unveiled-opening-don-france-student-commons">St. Clair College in Ontario</a> which in 2022 created a brand new space at the cutting edge of technology — with a $23 million budget.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the University of British Columbia (UBC) invested $100,000 in equipment to create a <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/3001912/ubc-esports-club-%20opens-online-gaming-lounge/">lounge dedicated to electronic sports</a>.</p>
<p>Other organizations, such as the <a href="https://www.osea.gg">Ontario School Esports Associations (OSEA)</a>, are actively promoting the integration of an esports program into the school curriculum.</p>
<p>In the near future, if these efforts expand, we can imagine young esports fans will have the chance to turn their passion for video games into a professional career — whether they would compete at high-level competitions or whether they would pursue another career in the video game field.</p>
<h2>Players’ health</h2>
<p>Even with the growth and dazzling popularity the sector has gained in recent years, the picture of esports today is not entirely rosy.</p>
<p>The daily life of professional esports athletes is not easy. Their <a href="https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/8845/skt-fakers-24-hour-schedule-infographic-with-mobalyticsgg">schedules</a> are particularly busy and they spend a large part of their day <a href="https://youtu.be/uyF6ZwtLonM?si=IcG1dt7zjtHxtKZR">training</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@T1_Faker">producing online content</a>.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uyF6ZwtLonM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>The competitive seasons are particularly demanding and, with some exceptions, most players’ careers are very short. In recent years, more and more players have opened up about their <a href="https://www.esports.net/news/industry/hidden-struggles-of-esports-athletes-mental-health-crisis/">mental health struggles</a>. Others have simply <a href="https://dotesports.com/league-of-legends/news/depression-burnout-insomnia-lec-pros-reveal-the-mental-toll-of-a-lol-esports-career">disappeared from the radar</a> after having made a thunderous breakthrough on the professional scene.</p>
<p>Research and support related to athletes’ working conditions will be necessary to ensure that they <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00494755221122493?icid=int.sj-abstract.citing-articles.5">do not endanger their health</a> and that they are not exploited by professional teams and leagues.</p>
<h2>Prevention and treatment of addiction phenomena</h2>
<p>The practice of esports can also have harmful effects on professional players, aspiring athletes or the general public due to excessive play time and/or expenses.</p>
<p>These phenomena are encouraged and exacerbated by the presence of mechanisms or strategies called <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/301007767.pdf">“Dark Patterns,”</a> widely used in <a href="https://www.darkpattern.games">certain video games</a>.</p>
<p>Dark Patterns can be temporal, encouraging players to invest an extended period of time in playing the game. For example, rewards for progressing in the game can be offered to players who play regularly every day.</p>
<p>Dark Patterns can also be monetary, by maximizing how much players will spend on a game. These expenses include mechanisms allowing players to pay to unlock aesthetic content or additional parts of a game.</p>
<p>Because of these mechanisms, it is essential to monitor and regulate the practices of the video game companies that use them.</p>
<h2>Esports are growing</h2>
<p>Electronic sports is a relatively recent practice that has grown incredibly over the last 10 years. However, this development has gone largely unnoticed by a large part of the general public.</p>
<p>Esports is nevertheless in a position to offer <a href="https://youtu.be/mP3fGkpmVM0?si=x6d7Pk9xr7BPOPTz">major events</a> which can easily rival the biggest traditional sporting events in popularity. It would be a mistake to underestimate esports, as it attracts both large crowds and talent.</p>
<p>On the contrary, it is important to support those who aspire to work in this field.</p>
<p>And above all, it is important to take a serious interest in the challenges and problems that esports face today, both in its professional and amateur practice.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219681/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Electronic sports, or esports, is a practice that is often looked down upon. But it is a growing global phenomenon played on an incredible scale.Thomas Burelli, Professeur en droit, Section de droit civil, Université d’Ottawa (Canada), membre du Conseil scientifique de la Fondation France Libertés, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaHaoran Liu, Reaserch Assistant, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaMarie Dykukha, Research Assistant, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2197962023-12-18T22:48:17Z2023-12-18T22:48:17Z‘Politically neutral’ Russian athletes can now enter the Olympics – but don’t expect many to compete<p>Earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Russian and Belarussian athletes <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/strict-eligibility-conditions-in-place-as-ioc-eb-approves-individual-neutral-athletes-ains-for-the-olympic-games-paris-2024">will be able to compete</a> in the 2024 Paris Olympics if they are politically neutral. The decision from the committee’s executive board reversed an earlier ban. </p>
<p>The IOC made this change even though the Russian National Olympic Committee remains suspended from competition for its <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-executive-board-suspends-russian-olympic-committee-with-immediate-effect">violation</a> of “the territorial integrity of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine”. For its part, Russia <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/12/09/1218406353/russian-belarus-athletes-ioc-2024-olympic-games">rejects</a> the decision.</p>
<p>The committee’s decision has enraged Western leaders, particularly those in Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1142889/kyiv-says-ioc-encouraging-war-ukraine">accused</a> the committee of effectively giving “[…] Russia the green light to weaponize the Olympics”.</p>
<p>While it might seem like a good idea not to hold individual athletes responsible for the decisions of governments, the decision is more complicated that it appears.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/refugee-team-offers-a-way-for-russian-and-belarusian-dissidents-to-compete-at-the-paris-olympics-202427">Refugee team offers a way for Russian and Belarusian dissidents to compete at the Paris Olympics</a>
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<h2>Athletes caught in the middle</h2>
<p>More than 30 Western nations, including Australia, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/dec/08/athletes-who-have-not-supported-ukraine-war-to-compete-at-paris-2024">have previously called for</a> a complete ban on Russian participation in the Games. </p>
<p>IOC President Thomas Bach <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67711799">defended his decision</a> by arguing “individual athletes cannot be punished for the acts of their governments”. </p>
<p>The ruling came with <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/strict-eligibility-conditions-in-place-as-ioc-eb-approves-individual-neutral-athletes-ains-for-the-olympic-games-paris-2024">strict conditions</a>. Athletes must not be open supporters of the Russian invasion and they cannot be affiliated with Russian or Belarussian military or security services.</p>
<p>They cannot compete under their home country’s flag, or with national emblems or anthems.</p>
<p>The committee estimates that only 11 athletes – six Russians and five Belarussians – will qualify under these regulations.</p>
<p>The committee has been <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/64604212">slowly working towards this policy</a> since the spring of 2023. </p>
<p>The call may seem reasonable. After all, why should Russian and Belarussian athletes, especially those not supportive of the invasion, suffer from the actions of their government?</p>
<p>But it’s not quite that cut and dry.</p>
<h2>Different, inconsistent approaches</h2>
<p>The rule change seems inconsistent. As the committee continues to ban the participation of Russian teams, not all neutral Russian and Belarussian athletes will be able to participate. </p>
<p>Sporting federations can also continue to ban Russian and Belarussian athletes from competition and therefore qualification for the Games. World Athletics President <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/world-athletics-defies-ioc-maintains-113900349.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAK8RYILhtTwcf8F72FRd3jOng0u7BeehrhgaTPszxpb7HT9ufXfwDnRCQSfZc9McQRQCjCxxmdsURC3tDSmswrm1A60uNAT8dg">Seb Coe confirmed</a> that the organisation will continue to ban them. </p>
<p>By contrast, World Taekwondo and World Judo have both allowed Russian and Belarussian athletes to <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/media/q-a-on-solidarity-with-ukraine-sanctions-against-russia-and-belarus-and-the-status-of-athletes-from-these-countries">compete in qualification</a>.</p>
<p>In September, the International Paralympic Committee also decided neutral athletes <a href="https://www.paralympic.org/news/ipc-general-assembly-partially-suspends-npc-russia">can compete</a>.</p>
<h2>What can Ukraine’s allies do?</h2>
<p>With the Paris 2024 games only seven months away, the IOC’s decision seems final. But frustrated Western leaders have other options. </p>
<p>In the past year, Western officials have <a href="https://www.euronews.com/2023/03/30/paris-olympics-if-russian-athletes-are-cleared-to-compete-will-a-boycott-threat-have-any-e#:%7E:text=Ukraine%20has%20threatened%20to%20boycott,the%202024%20Paris%20Olympic%20Games.">threatened to boycott</a> the Olympics if Russian and Belarussian athletes competed. </p>
<p>There is a long history of politically motivated Olympic boycotts and threatened boycotts. In 1980, the United States and 66 other countries boycotted the Moscow games <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/08/history-olympic-games-boycotts/">in response to the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan</a>. Eight other countries, including Australia, competed under an Olympic flag to signal their opposition to the invasion. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/in-a-year-of-sporting-mega-events-the-brisbane-olympics-can-learn-a-lot-from-the-ones-that-fail-their-host-cities-187838">In a year of sporting mega-events, the Brisbane Olympics can learn a lot from the ones that fail their host cities</a>
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<p>In 1984, in response, the Soviet Union and its allies boycotted the summer Olympics in Los Angeles. </p>
<p>A boycott of the Paris Olympics would be devastating to the organisers, but it remains very unlikely. France is a Western nation and a strong supporter of Ukraine. President Emmanuel Macron recently <a href="https://www.barrons.com/news/eu-should-give-ukraine-full-and-enduring-support-macron-65f3b496?refsec=topics_afp-news">encouraged the European Union</a> to continue supporting the beleaguered nation.</p>
<p>As a more palatable approach, Western leaders could ban athletes from Russia and Belarus from competing in international athletic competitions in Western Europe in the run-up to the games. This would likely make it impossible for any athletes from those countries to qualify for spots in Paris. </p>
<p>As historian Heather Dichter <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/190/monograph/chapter/3034403">has shown</a>, travel bans have a long history in the Olympics. </p>
<p>In the 1960s, there was a <a href="https://members.shafr.org/assets/docs/Passport/2022/September-2022/passport-09-2022-dichter.pdf">NATO-wide ban on East German athletes</a> travelling to compete in events in Western European countries. This effectively barred them from participation in several major sporting competitions and from qualifying for the Olympics. </p>
<p>Some Western leaders have already attempted to use this strategy against Russian and Belarussian athletes. Polish President Andrzej Duda <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/media/q-a-on-solidarity-with-ukraine-sanctions-against-russia-and-belarus-and-the-status-of-athletes-from-these-countries">refused to issue visas</a> to Russian and Belarussian fencers for a qualification competition in June. The International Fencing Federation moved the matches to Bulgaria where the neutral athletes could compete. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/gender-inequality-will-still-be-an-issue-at-the-paris-2024-olympics-despite-the-games-being-gender-balanced-210883">Gender inequality will still be an issue at the Paris 2024 Olympics — despite the Games being gender-balanced</a>
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<p>As a more drastic step, French officials could simply ban all Russian and Belarussian athletes from travelling to Paris during the Olympics. The committee would likely have no recourse at this late date.</p>
<p>It would would align with the approach of some other EU member nations that <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230523-russian-tourists-seek-new-destinations-as-europe-shuts-its-doors-over-ukraine-war">ban Russian tourism and travel</a>. </p>
<p>However, the French National Olympic Committee would likely oppose such a move. They might worry that it threatens the viability of their likely future <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/the-french-alps-and-salt-lake-city-utah-invited-into-respective-targeted-dialogues-to-host-the-olympic-and-paralympic-winter-games-2030-and-2034">2030 Winter Olympic Games</a>.</p>
<p>At a time when so much international attention has turned to the Israel/Hamas war, will leaders, however frustrated, do anything in response?</p>
<p>Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure: whatever happens will be carefully calculated to account for the vast array of geopolitical moving parts.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219796/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keith Rathbone does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The International Olympic Committee has ruled politically-neutral individual athletes are eligible, but some nations aren’t happy about it.Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2105502023-08-20T20:04:26Z2023-08-20T20:04:26ZJust the beginning: 7 ways the Women’s World Cup can move the dial on women’s sport forever<p>So, that’s it then. The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, hosted on Australian and New Zealand soil for the first time, came to an end on Sunday night as Spain beat England 1-0 in the final, after the Matildas lost 2-0 to Sweden on Saturday to finish fourth, their best ever result.</p>
<p>On top of the historic result, the Matildas captured the hearts of a nation. They broke television streaming records, with the semi-final match against England becoming the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/aug/17/matildas-re-write-history-books-as-semi-final-smashes-tv-ratings-records">most-watched program</a> since the current rating method was established in 2001.</p>
<p>Jubilant scenes erupted at live sites, pubs and homes across the nation. One viral video even captured a flight full of international travelers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2023/aug/13/the-moment-a-plane-full-of-passengers-erupts-over-the-matildas-win-except-one-video">tuning in mid-air to watch the Matildas’ penalty shootout</a> against France.</p>
<p>The Women’s World Cup has also delivered an estimated <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/fifa-womens-world-cup-matildas-create-7-billion-boost/64a76441-124c-480e-8b65-bcb84119290c">A$7.6 billion boost</a> to the Australian economy.</p>
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<p>Through countless instances such as these, we’re experiencing not just a great sporting moment, but a great cultural one too.</p>
<p>But, as anyone in and around women’s football knows, the Women’s World Cup needs to be more than a four-week football festival.</p>
<p>It needs to move the dial on the treatment of, and investment in, women’s sport, including with the following big-ticket items.</p>
<h2>1. Celebrate and extend the cultural shift</h2>
<p>The “<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235791144_France_Media_Coverage_of_the_Athens_Olympic_Games_by_the_French_Press_The_Olympic_Games_Effect_in_L'Equipe_and_Le_Monde">Olympic Games effect</a>” often sees coverage of women’s sports increase during the Olympics, where people are cheering on not their usual men’s or women’s teams, but their country.</p>
<p>But the Women’s World Cup has generated something incredible: women inspiring girls, women, boys, and men with feats that simultaneously position gender front and centre and inspire changing attitudes around the skills, capability, and value of girls and women.</p>
<p>Encouraging and continuing this cultural shift will be equally, if not more, game-changing.</p>
<p>For starters, it will ensure young girls have idols to look up to – which women’s football greats such as Brazil’s Marta <a href="https://keepup.com.au/news/womens-world-cup-news-scores-broadcast-details-brazil-france-panama-jamaica-italy-argentina-south-africa-sweden">missed out on</a>. </p>
<p>We must cement such a shift with good policy and investment to promote further inclusion. This should have implications beyond sport, including extending to improving women’s representation in boardrooms.</p>
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<h2>2. Acknowledge no single event can fix everything</h2>
<p>In speaking about AFLW, but in a sentiment equally applicable to football, sports journalist Neroli Meadows noted that <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/television-boom-for-womens-football-20160331-gnvewc.html">one day the concept of women not being able to play football</a>, or their playing being seen as a novelty, will be as foreign a concept as women not being allowed to vote.</p>
<p>The 2023 Women’s World Cup has gone at least partway to achieving that normalisation.</p>
<p>But it’s imperative not to overplay what the team and the tournament have brought. No single sport event can <a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/business-and-human-rights/publications/fifa-2023-womens-world-cup-human-rights-risk">neatly address all gender equality issues</a> (we’ve <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14443058.2019.1575262">heard such optimism and hype</a> around women’s sport and its gender-equality-advancing ability before).</p>
<p>So while it’s important to celebrate the wins, it’s equally important to recognise the tournament isn’t the endgame but an important next step.</p>
<h2>3. Use the data to align value with investment</h2>
<p>Until recently, the absence of investment in women’s football and the failure to broadcast matches meant the resulting data have only ever shown us what women’s football is not.</p>
<p>That lack of data is also <a href="https://www.codesports.com.au/football/world-cup/why-fifa-is-standing-its-ground-on-tv-rights-valuations-for-the-2023-womens-world-cup/news-story/f4b8b51eac305c20778cb816ed30717e">why broadcasters were able to lowball FIFA</a> when it was trying to sell the 2023 Women’s World Cup broadcast rights. It’s also why Channel 7 was able to secure the rights to screen 15 matches <a href="https://www.mediaweek.com.au/sevens-best-buy-womens-world-cup-rights-james-warburtons-bargain-matildas-score/#:%7E:text=Reports%20have%20speculated%20that%20Optus,rights%20to%20screen%2015%20matches">for just A$4–5 million</a> (since described as “the deal of the century”).</p>
<p>It’s likewise why women’s football hasn’t been considered important enough <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/reason-not-all-fifa-womens-world-cup-matches-are-on-free-to-air-tv/7f4svhq7z">to warrant inclusion under anti-siphoning laws</a>, which facilitate events of national significance being broadcast on free-to-air television to ensure maximum accessibility.</p>
<p>That cannot be allowed to happen again. The astonishing viewership data and record ticket sales must be leveraged into real commercial and gender-equality change possibilities.</p>
<h2>4. Invest in gender-specific research and gear</h2>
<p>A spate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries extinguished the tournament dreams of <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-05/acl-injuries-see-best-footballers-miss-2023-womens-world-cup/102318716">some of the world’s top women’s footballers</a>. </p>
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<p>Oft-cited research confirms women are <a href="https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/sports-injuries-gender">up to eight times more likely</a> to suffer ACL injuries than men. But there remains little women-specific research into ACL injury causes, much less prevention. Addressing this glaring absence is urgent.</p>
<p>This is symptomatic of wider issues around research overlooking women. For example, it was only last week that the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/08/menstrual-discs-may-be-better-for-heavy-periods-than-pads-or-tampons-study">world’s first study into period product absorption that used actual blood</a>, not saline or water, was released. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-study-much-of-what-were-told-about-gym-exercises-and-resistance-training-is-from-studies-of-males-by-men-205753">New study: much of what we're told about gym exercises and resistance training is from studies of males, by men</a>
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<p>The need to address other barriers is similarly important. For example, poorly fitting kits contribute to a high attrition rate for girls and women from sport. A <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/about-vu/news-events/news/vu-teams-up-with-puma-on-sport-uniform-recommendations">Victoria University study</a> confirmed what most girls and women already knew: done well, uniforms imbue comfort and confidence. But done poorly, they cause discomfort and self-consciousness and can put girls off wanting to continue sport.</p>
<p>Girls and women want flexibility and self-determination in uniform selection, and shorts and T-shirt options rather than skirts or dresses. Also, breathable dark material that masks sweat – so we should get rid of white shorts.</p>
<p>There’s also a glaring need to consider kits beyond outfield players: women referees remain overlooked. </p>
<p>Likewise, women’s goalkeeper kits have been <a href="https://keepup.com.au/news/matildas-goalkeeper-kit-mackenzie-arnold-mary-earps-england-nike/#:%7E:text=Kit%20manufacturer%20Nike%20opted%20against,their%20kits%20designed%20by%20Nike">unavailable for purchase</a> this Women’s World Cup, despite many ‘keepers nation-inspiring defensive efforts. If ever there were something that summed up how women’s football simultaneously excels while being thwarted, this is it.</p>
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<h2>5. Appoint women to senior positions, but avoid the 'glass cliff’</h2>
<p>England coach Sarina Weigman was the only woman coach in the final four, and women remain a long way from holding apex positions such as the president of FIFA.</p>
<p>This tournament needs to open the door for women to be making decisions for women’s sport.</p>
<p>At the same time, we need to be measured and sustainable in the approach we take. We need to steer clear of the “glass cliff” <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2005.00433.x">phenomenon</a> – where women are awarded senior positions only during tumult and the men who usually hold those roles are abandoning ship. </p>
<p>Establishing solid, steady training and mentoring programs and networks is a must.</p>
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<h2>6. Pay them properly</h2>
<p>Providing <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/a-matildas-public-holiday-won-t-fix-football-s-funding-failures-20230813-p5dw6l.html">a public holiday</a> if the Matildas were to have won the final is all well and good. But there remains one key missing element for them, as it is for all women’s sports: pay and prize money commensurate with their contributions and talent.</p>
<p>Having achieved pay parity in 2019 and now earning base payments and bonuses for progressing to the knockout stages, the Matildas are in a slightly better position than their netball peers the Diamonds. The latter <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-just-won-the-netball-world-cup-why-isnt-there-room-for-multiple-womens-world-cups-in-our-sports-media-211413">won the netball World Cup</a> last week but received no pay and no bonuses for their efforts.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-just-won-the-netball-world-cup-why-isnt-there-room-for-multiple-womens-world-cups-in-our-sports-media-211413">Australia just won the netball world cup. Why isn’t there room for multiple women’s world cups in our sports media?</a>
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<p>However, FIFA Women’s World Cup prize money, still a fraction of the men’s prize money, remains the elephant in the room. Total prize money for this year’s women’s tournament was <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/how-much-will-the-winners-of-the-womens-world-cup-take-home/8atcu9phr">US$110 million</a> (A$165 million), while the total for the 2022 men’s edition was US$440 million (A$688 million). </p>
<p>FIFA has paid lip service to achieving prize money parity in coming years, but there’s little to stop it getting there now — especially off the back of record ticket sales.</p>
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<h2>7. ‘Correct the internet’</h2>
<p>Women’s contributions have traditionally been devalued or overlooked (a phenomenon known in science as the “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/285482">Matilda effect</a>”). This has happened across many domains, including women’s football.</p>
<p>For example, often the historical record has seen football records such as the world’s leading international goalscorer misattributed to men. This is actually Canadian forward Christine Sinclair, having scored 190 international goals, not Cristiano Ronaldo, who’s scored 123.</p>
<p>Former New Zealand international footballer Rebecca Sowden has launched a campaign to “<a href="https://www.teamheroine.com/correct-the-internet#:%7E:text=So%20Team%20Heroine%20created%20Correct,just%20a%20couple%20of%20clicks.">correct the internet</a>”, aided by a gender-bias-correcting approach <a href="https://blog.google/products/search/how-were-making-it-easier-to-find-results-on-womens-sports/?fbclid=IwAR0avwymBtqZBrxIHxisBxxvSWgSrt9tnv0y1JFt6ZuMT1GiC7hv4cuqNS0">Google announced</a> in July.</p>
<p>Efforts such as this aim to accurately place the women at the centre of this cultural and sporting revolution, appropriately affording them their place in history.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210550/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fiona Crawford has worked in and around football for more than a decade, including having previously worked for Football Federation Australia/Football Australia.</span></em></p>We’re experiencing a great sporting and cultural moment. But the Women’s World Cup needs to be more than a four-week football festival.Fiona Crawford, Adjunct Lecturer at the Centre for Justice, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2108832023-08-20T12:12:23Z2023-08-20T12:12:23ZGender inequality will still be an issue at the Paris 2024 Olympics — despite the Games being gender-balanced<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542864/original/file-20230815-26675-69iu8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C7%2C5101%2C3416&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tourists walk past the Olympic rings in front of Paris City Hall with one year until the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony, on July 26, 2023. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/gender-inequality-will-still-be-an-issue-at-the-paris-2024-olympics-despite-the-games-being-gender-balanced" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>With one year to go until the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, fans around the world have been following their teams’ performances at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. </p>
<p>For fans <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-upside-to-canada-being-knocked-out-of-the-fifa-womens-world-cup-210782">whose national teams didn’t advance as much as they had hoped</a>, they can look forward to seeing those same teams play at the Paris Olympics.</p>
<p>But the same is not true for the men’s national teams that competed at the <a href="https://theconversation.com/looking-back-on-the-2022-fifa-world-cup-a-tournament-of-surprises-and-controversy-194493">2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar</a>. At the Olympic Games, <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/articles/mens-olympic-football-tournament-paris-2024-dates-stadiums-cities-qualifiers-qualified-teams-format">men’s national teams are limited to 23-year-old and younger players</a>, with three exceptions for overage players. There are <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/articles/womens-olympic-football-tournament-paris-2024-dates-stadiums-cities-qualifiers-qualified-teams-format">no age restrictions for the women players</a>.</p>
<p>This is only one of the many gender-based differences in how men and women athletes compete at the Olympic Games. </p>
<h2>Olympic Games sport programme</h2>
<p>My research examines how the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has promoted gender equality at the Games. My book <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Gender-Equality-and-the-Olympic-Programme/Donnelly/p/book/9781032416809"><em>Gender Equality and the Olympic Programme</em></a> focuses on the sport programme — all the sports and events included at the Games — because it is the most visible aspect of the Olympic Games.</p>
<p><a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/olympic-programme-commission">According to the IOC</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“the Olympic programme is the fundamental core of the Olympic Games as decisions regarding the programme have an impact on virtually all other areas of the Olympic Games and Olympic Movement.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The inclusion of specific sports and events, as well as how women and men athletes play those sports (and what they wear to play them), sends important messages about how the IOC and other international sport federations define and attempt to achieve gender equality. </p>
<p>In addition, the sport programme is highly contested. International sport federations, athletes, Games Organizing Committees, broadcasters and the IOC all have interests in its composition. And, sometimes, <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1101717/ioc-paris-2024-programme-rejections">those interests conflict</a>.</p>
<h2>IOC’s quest for gender equality</h2>
<p>Most of the IOC’s claims about gender equality achievements at the Games are focused on the sport programme. The IOC has announced that at the 2024 Games, for the first time, there will be <a href="https://olympics.com/en/news/paris-2024-first-games-to-achieve-full-gender-parity">an equal number of men and women athletes</a>, and the same number of events (opportunities to win a medal) for men and women.</p>
<p>In 2014, the IOC released <a href="https://library.olympics.com/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/20238/olympic-agenda-2020-20-20-recommendations-international-olympic-committee?_lg=en-GB">a strategic plan for the future of the Olympic Games</a>. Among the 40 recommendations is one about fostering gender equality. Including an equal number of men and women athletes at the Games is one strategy the IOC identified to “foster gender equality.” </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man in an open-collar shirt and blazer smiles from behind a podium emblazoned with the Olympic logo" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542865/original/file-20230815-29-w6qgzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542865/original/file-20230815-29-w6qgzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542865/original/file-20230815-29-w6qgzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542865/original/file-20230815-29-w6qgzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542865/original/file-20230815-29-w6qgzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542865/original/file-20230815-29-w6qgzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542865/original/file-20230815-29-w6qgzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee President Tony Estanguet takes the stage during the representatives of national Olympic committees ceremony, on July 26, 2023 in Saint-Denis, outside Paris.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Claims about achieving “gender balance” have been an integral part of all the IOC’s statements about Paris 2024. It is crucial to critically examine what these claims mean and how they relate to achieving gender equality. </p>
<p>Ensuring gender parity — the same number of men and women athletes and men’s and women’s events — is important for gender equality at the Games, but it does not address the conditions of men’s and women’s participation. </p>
<h2>Gender differences in sporting events</h2>
<p>The IOC’s <a href="https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Beyond-the-Games/Gender-Equality-in-Sport/IOC-Gender-Equality-and-Inclusion-Objectives-2021-2024.pdf">aim to achieve gender balance</a> reveals an incomplete, numbers-focused commitment to gender equality. </p>
<p>When men and women compete in the same sports, international federations continue to enforce differences between men’s and women’s events. These differences include: the <a href="https://assets.ctfassets.net/761l7gh5x5an/3zdJc5antr1dA3GYeDKdBu/bef82a9d7336e9b798c364066db92581/2-ROA-20230613-E.pdf">length of races</a>; <a href="https://iwf.sport/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2020/01/IWF_TCRR_2020.pdf">weight categories</a>; the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/about-iaaf/documents/book-of-rules">height, weight, size and spacing of equipment</a>; the <a href="https://resources.fina.org/fina/document/2021/01/12/a13c160d-b94a-4b63-93aa-a06fa370433f/2019_2021_wp_rules_congress_amended_06012020_0.pdf">size of venues</a>; and differences in <a href="https://www.gymnastics.sport/site/rules/">judging</a>, <a href="https://uww.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/wrestling_rules.pdf">rules</a> and <a href="https://www.fivb.com/en/volleyball/thegame_glossary/officialrulesofthegames">uniforms</a>.</p>
<p>For example, in artistic gymnastics, <a href="https://www.gymnastics.sport/site/rules/">the differences between the men’s and women’s competitions</a> include age requirements (18 years old for men and 16 for women); different apparatus (e.g., parallel bars for men and uneven parallel bars for women); the number of apparatus (six for men and four for women); and uniform requirements (long or short pants for men, leotards or unitards for women).</p>
<p>On the floor and vault — apparatus on which both men and women compete — women’s floor routines are set to music and include dance elements, while the men’s do not. When performing the same skills, men’s eligible scores are lower than women’s. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A young Black women in a leotard balances on one bent leg while on a balance beam" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542862/original/file-20230815-23-n8p5qo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542862/original/file-20230815-23-n8p5qo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542862/original/file-20230815-23-n8p5qo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542862/original/file-20230815-23-n8p5qo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542862/original/file-20230815-23-n8p5qo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542862/original/file-20230815-23-n8p5qo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542862/original/file-20230815-23-n8p5qo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Simone Biles, of the United States, performs on the balance beam during the artistic gymnastics women’s apparatus final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, on Aug. 3, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What the audience sees is women’s gymnastics performed in ways that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2015.1124859">emphasize stereotypical femininity</a> and minimize strength and power. In contrast, men’s gymnastics events are organized to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19799-5_8">emphasize the athletes’ strength and power</a>.</p>
<p>These gender-based differences are examples of gender inequality. </p>
<h2>Complete gender equality</h2>
<p>In cases where sports are gender-differentiated, women’s sports are designed to be a lesser version than the men’s. Women’s races are shorter, there are fewer weight categories, equipment and venues are lighter and smaller and women wear more revealing uniforms.</p>
<p>Differences in men’s and women’s conditions of participation are the result of decisions made by those who control Olympic sports — decision-makers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243219867914">who continue to be predominantly men</a>. The differences are not naturally occurring, nor are they universal.</p>
<p>In fact, there are several sports and events on the Olympic programme that are not gender-differentiated. For example, men and women athletes competing in <a href="https://www.worldarchery.sport/rulebook">archery</a> and <a href="https://www.worldbadminton.com/rules/">badminton</a> use the same venue, equipment and rules.</p>
<p>This is evidence of internal contradictions in the Olympic programme; some events are constructed to be different for men and women athletes, while others are not. This reinforces the need to identify and explain the remaining examples of gender-based differences.</p>
<p>These internal contradictions also require further attention from the IOC and the adoption of a more complete definition of gender equality — one that includes opportunity and status. </p>
<p>The IOC needs to look beyond the numbers and work with international federations to address athletes’ conditions of participation in the same sports. </p>
<p>Crucially, embracing and enforcing gender equality should not mean using men’s sports as the standard (e.g., increasing the length of women’s races to be the same as the men’s distance). Rather, this is an opportunity for international federations to determine the best possible conditions for all athletes in their sports.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210883/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michele K. Donnelly has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). </span></em></p>The IOC needs to look beyond gender parity and work with international federations to address athletes’ conditions of participation in sports to achieve true gender equality.Michele K. Donnelly, Assistant professor, Department of Sport Management, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2101862023-08-08T17:20:38Z2023-08-08T17:20:38ZOne year to go: Will the Paris 2024 Olympics see a return to normalcy?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541279/original/file-20230804-27-45h6ws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5132%2C3428&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A group of tourists walk past the Olympic rings in front of Paris City Hall with one year until the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony, on July 26, 2023.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/one-year-to-go-will-the-paris-2024-olympics-see-a-return-to-normalcy" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>We haven’t had a “normal” Olympic Games since the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-tokyo-olympics-are-going-ahead-but-they-will-be-a-much-compromised-and-watered-down-event-160104">2020 Tokyo Summer Games</a> and the 2022 Beijing Winter Games were both affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in significant changes and schedule disruptions.</p>
<p>There were virtually no spectators, strict COVID-19 protocols for anyone involved in the Games, budget issues, no corporate hospitality, reduced community engagement and a lackluster atmosphere in the two host cities.</p>
<p>But there is hope for a return to a more traditional and enjoyable Games with the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. With <a href="https://apnews.com/article/paris-olympics-tickets-transport-accommodation-climate-b6b9798ea2fc65995cb3e4c6c96462f0">10 million tickets available</a>, spectators will be back in stadiums. </p>
<p>Up to 600,000 spectators will be allowed at the opening ceremony in July 2024 which, for the first time in history, <a href="https://olympics.com/en/news/whats-new-paris-2024-opening-ceremony">won’t take place in a stadium</a>, but along the Seine River in northern France. Athletes will parade six kilometres along the river before arriving at the Trocadéro, where the final parts of the ceremony will take place.</p>
<h2>Athletes and sports</h2>
<p>Since pandemic restrictions are no longer in place, competing at the Olympics and living in the Athlete’s Village will be a much better experience for athletes, who will be able to freely mix and mingle again.</p>
<p>There will be 32 sports and 329 events at the Paris Games. Karate, baseball and softball have been dropped. Hoping to attract a youthful audience, breakdancing — known as “breaking” — <a href="https://theconversation.com/breakdancing-in-the-olympics-the-games-have-a-long-history-of-taking-chances-from-pesapallo-yes-its-a-sport-to-kite-flying-151750">will make its first Olympic appearance</a>. </p>
<p>Sport climbing, surfing and skateboarding, all of which made their debut at Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021), will remain in Paris. In the continuing push for gender equity, there will be <a href="https://olympic.ca/2022/04/01/paris-2024-to-have-exact-gender-equality-in-athlete-participants/">equal numbers of male and female athletes for the first time</a>.</p>
<p>In the hopes of having as clean a Games as possible, <a href="https://ita.sport/event/paris-2024/">strict doping controls will once again be in place for Paris</a>. Due to sophisticated laboratory testing, some cheats will inevitably be caught — if not during the Games, then afterwards. </p>
<p>The Canadian men’s 4x100-metre relay team, for example, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/trackandfield/2023-world-aquatics-championships-day-8-prelims-1.6922437">just received their upgraded silver medals</a> for the Tokyo Games after the British team tested positive for doping.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Four Black men in long-sleeve grey shirts smiling on a podium and holding up silver medals" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541280/original/file-20230804-21-syzil2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541280/original/file-20230804-21-syzil2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541280/original/file-20230804-21-syzil2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541280/original/file-20230804-21-syzil2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541280/original/file-20230804-21-syzil2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541280/original/file-20230804-21-syzil2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541280/original/file-20230804-21-syzil2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Aaron Brown, from left to right, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney and Andre De Grasse pose with their upgraded Tokyo Olympics silver medals during a ceremony in Langley, B.C., on July 29, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Russian and Belarusian athletes</h2>
<p>A chief question is whether, and on what terms, athletes from Russia and Belarus will compete at the Games. Athletes from both countries have been effectively banned from international competition in the aftermath of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-eb-recommends-no-participation-of-russian-and-belarusian-athletes-and-officials">International Olympic Committee (IOC) strongly recommended banning athletes from both countries</a> from the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, with the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/03/sports/olympics/paralympics-russia.html">International Paralympic Committee following suit days</a> later.</p>
<p>Since then, the IOC has faced pressure from both sides. On the one side, several Baltic leaders <a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-sports-latvia-estonia-soviet-union-919f44f8ea48fc382297e02a31f3e411">have threatened to boycott the Games</a> if Russians and Belarusians are allowed to compete. On the other, <a href="https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=27552">human rights groups have been advocating that individual athletes not face discrimination</a> based on their nationality.</p>
<p>The International Olympic Committee has attempted to strike a balance between <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-continues-to-provide-widespread-support-for-ukrainian-athletes">continued support for Ukrainian athletes</a> without “punishing athletes for the acts of their governments,” <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1139036/thomas-bach-ioc-paris-2024">as IOC President Thomas Bach stated</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/refugee-team-offers-a-way-for-russian-and-belarusian-dissidents-to-compete-at-the-paris-olympics-202427">Refugee team offers a way for Russian and Belarusian dissidents to compete at the Paris Olympics</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The IOC has the ultimate authority as to who will not receive formal invitations to compete in the Paris Games, and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/07/14/1187641752/ioc-not-invite-russia-and-belarus-to-2024-olympics">it had earlier stated</a> that it will not invite Russia and Belarus to the 2024 Olympics.</p>
<p>While a final decision about the situation is unlikely to be made before the fall, Ukraine’s recent about-face to <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/ukraine-athletics-boycott-russia-1.6919538">allow its athletes to compete against Russians and Belarusians</a> reveals the situation’s complexity.</p>
<h2>Olympic culture</h2>
<p>As the host city, Paris will be buzzing with excitement, <a href="https://toronto.citynews.ca/2023/07/26/a-guide-to-how-paris-will-welcome-fans-and-stage-32-sports-at-the-first-post-pandemic-olympics/">offering a variety of Olympic activities</a>. These include <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/paris-olympics-fan-zones-announcement-b2380726.html">special fan zones</a>, free viewings of the Olympic Torch Relay and opening ceremonies, <a href="https://medium.com/road-to-paris/olympic-hospitality-house-list-for-paris-summer-games-ultimate-guide-to-paris-2024-d18d18866ac1">access to hospitality houses</a> and opportunities to visit sponsor sites like Samsung, Visa and Pride House. </p>
<p>Plus, there is the <a href="https://www.paris2024.org/en/the-paris-2024-cultural-olympiad">Cultural Olympiad program</a> that began just after the Tokyo Games finished. This program <a href="https://olympicanalysis.org/section-1/cultural-programming-at-tokyo-2020-the-impossible-olympic-festival-city">provides opportunities for host countries</a> to “start new conversations between sporting and cultural circles during the four years building up to the Games then until the closing ceremony.” </p>
<h2>Record-breaking media coverage</h2>
<p>While the Tokyo and Beijing Games still had extensive media coverage, the upcoming Paris Games are <a href="https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2023/07/24/Upfront/paris-2024.aspx?ana=top_stories">expected to have the most coverage out of any Olympics</a>.</p>
<p>By May, Paris organizers had sold 6.8 million tickets — about 70 per cent of the total inventory. And in July, the president of the Paris Olympics organizing committee said they had <a href="https://apnews.com/article/olympics-paris-2024-budget-estanguet-765d98ef0acc061b7ef5dfaa7bec337c">passed the €1 billion (C$1.5 billion) mark in secured sponsorship revenue</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An older man with white hair and glasses gestures while speaking from behind a podium emblazoned with the Olympics logo" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541281/original/file-20230804-27-f0kxeo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541281/original/file-20230804-27-f0kxeo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541281/original/file-20230804-27-f0kxeo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541281/original/file-20230804-27-f0kxeo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541281/original/file-20230804-27-f0kxeo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541281/original/file-20230804-27-f0kxeo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541281/original/file-20230804-27-f0kxeo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach delivers a speech during the IOC invitation ceremony on July 26, 2023 in Saint-Denis, outside Paris.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Coca-Cola, the <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/partners/coca-cola-mengniu">longest standing Olympic sponsor since 1928</a>, is an official non-alcoholic beverage sponsor and the <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1128052/coca-cola-paris-2024-torch-relay">major sponsor of the Olympic Torch Relay</a> and pin trading centres. Coke’s marketing agreement extends to 2032 and is estimated to be worth a whopping $3 billion.</p>
<p>The return of corporate sponsorships will also include extensive corporate hospitality and packages from major sponsors, including Visa, Coke, Samsung and others. </p>
<h2>Security at the Games</h2>
<p>From the French Revolution to the modern day, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/france-penchant-for-protests-offers-challenge-ahead-of-paris-olympics-1.6900277">Paris undoubtedly has a strong history of social demonstrations</a>. Recent events have raised the question of whether this propensity will play out during the Paris 2024 Games.</p>
<p>In July, widespread <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/paris-protest-against-police-violence-banned-after-riots-2023-07-08">protests and demonstrations took place after police shot and killed 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk</a>, a French citizen of Moroccan and Algerian descent, illustrating how fraught tensions are between racialized communities and law enforcement in France.</p>
<p>As for the possibility of demonstrations occurring during the 2024 Olympics, <a href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/a-long-history-of-politics-and-protest-at-the-olympics/2803756">it still remains to be seen</a>. Whether or not they are to be expected, a heavy anti-terrorism security presence can be expected, as has become the norm in recent decades at mega sport events.</p>
<p>On the positive side, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65961949">recent investigations into corruption at French sport’s highest levels</a> may lead to improved transparency regarding corruption in organizing committees as the Games approach.</p>
<h2>One year to go</h2>
<p>The 2024 Paris Olympics should see a return to normalcy compared to the last two games. Although trepidation exists, with one year to go anxieties are normal. </p>
<p>As Paris prepares to host its third Olympics (1904, 1924, 2024) — <a href="https://www.olympiccities.org">only the second city to achieve this milestone after London</a> (1908, 1948, 2012) — there is optimism the event will run smoothly. </p>
<p>The legacy of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the French founder of the modern Olympic Games, and the <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/olympic-movement">Olympic Movement</a> should continue unabated.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210186/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There is hope for a return to a more traditional and enjoyable Olympic Games with the upcoming 2024 Paris Games.Angela Schneider, Director, International Centre for Olympic Studies, Western UniversityAlan C Oldham, PhD Student, International Centre for Olympic Studies, Western UniversityRichard Baka, Adjunct Fellow, Olympic Scholar and Co-Director of the Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre, Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2099882023-08-01T20:14:47Z2023-08-01T20:14:47ZOlympic star Nadia Comăneci was a Romanian ‘hero’ who defected to escape her government. What do her surveillance files reveal?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540318/original/file-20230801-17-v1arxj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C5%2C3958%2C1970&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Composite image of Nadia Comaneci at the Montreal Olympic Games, 1976.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>“On the night of 27–28 November 1989,” Stejărel Olaru writes, “seven people hurriedly but warily made their way towards the frontier between Romania and Hungary.”</p>
<p>Five-time Olympic gold-medal-winning Romanian gymnast <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadia_Com%C4%83neci">Nadia Comăneci</a> was one of those scrambling across fields in the dark. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>Review: Nadia Comăneci and the Secret Police: A Cold War Escape – Stejărel Olaru, translated by Alistair Ian Blyth (Bloomsbury)</em></p>
<hr>
<p>“By now it was after midnight and the temperature had dropped so low that the cold had become a real danger,” Olaru adds:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>although it wasn’t the only one, nor even the most significant, since the seven had embarked on the perilous adventure of their lives: they were about to make an illegal border crossing between two communist states.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>These quotes, which would sit comfortably in a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_le_Carr%C3%A9">Le Carre</a> thriller, come from <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/nadia-comaneci-and-the-secret-police-9781350321298/">Nadia Comăneci and the Secret Police: A Cold War Escape</a> (2023). </p>
<p>Translated from Romanian by Alistair Ian Blyth, this book sheds light on state surveillance, lived experience and sport in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Bloc">Eastern Bloc</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540335/original/file-20230801-19-jjmgjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540335/original/file-20230801-19-jjmgjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540335/original/file-20230801-19-jjmgjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540335/original/file-20230801-19-jjmgjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540335/original/file-20230801-19-jjmgjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540335/original/file-20230801-19-jjmgjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540335/original/file-20230801-19-jjmgjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540335/original/file-20230801-19-jjmgjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nadia Comaneci performing on the balance beam on her way to a gold medal in the Moscow Olympics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The most famous gymnast in the world</h2>
<p>To say Comăneci was well-known when she fled Romania would be an understatement. </p>
<p>Put simply, Comăneci, <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/audio/podcast-episode/nadia-comaneci-the-gymnast-who-made-olympic-history-with-a-perfect-10/wk5d54oc6">the first gymnast</a> to be awarded a perfect score of ten in an Olympic event, was, as Olaru points out, “the most famous gymnast in the world”.</p>
<p>Comăneci was <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nadia-Comaneci">born</a> on November 12 1961 in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One%C8%99ti">Onęsti</a>, a provincial town in the Carpathian Mountains. She displayed an interest in gymnastics at an early age. </p>
<p>Her parents approved, hoping Nadia would burn off excess energy. Olaru notes that the precocious youngster “began to learn exercises on the mat, the vault, the parallel bars, and the beam, doing things she wouldn’t be able to do at home”. </p>
<p>All this, it should be added, happened while she was still in nursery. </p>
<p>By the autumn of 1969, Comăneci had enrolled at her local gymnastics centre, where she received formal training. In 1970, she became the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadia_Com%C4%83neci#:%7E:text">youngest gymnast</a> to win at the Romanian Nationals. Success after success followed. </p>
<p>Comăneci shot to international prominence in 1975 when, at the age of 13, she dominated proceedings at the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/news/nadia-comaneci-a-pioneer-in-perfection">European Gymnastics Championships</a>.</p>
<p>“Nadia astonished not only the public,” Olaru asserts, “but also the opposing teams, who discovered a gymnast who, perfectly and unhesitatingly, could execute exercises of extreme difficulty.” </p>
<p>Comăneci’s performance had profound ramifications. In Olaru’s estimation, she single-handedly “managed to change public perceptions of the sport thanks to the perfection with which she performed her routines”. </p>
<p>Having piqued the world’s interest, Comăneci reached the pinnacle of gymnastic perfection at the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/montreal-1976">1976 Montreal Olympics</a>, when she scored her famous perfect ten on the uneven bars.</p>
<p>Olaru’s description of Comăneci’s remarkable routine is worth quoting:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Nadia leapt straight to a support position on the high bar and cast away from it to perform a straddled front somersault while re-grasping the same bar. Her routine was marked by moments of exquisite balance as she performed handstands and her well-known full twisting somersaults between bars. Finally, using the spring of the lower bar for lift, she span through the air before sticking a perfect landing. The whole routine had lasted a mere twenty seconds.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The arena erupted in applause. Comăneci’s name and score was on everybody’s lips and immediately started to wend their way around the world. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4m2YT-PIkEc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Nadia Comăneci’s world-first perfect ten routine at the Montreal Olympics.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This performance transformed gymnastics and changed Comăneci’s life. She received a hero’s welcome on returning home. Her name and likeness adorned posters all over Romania. </p>
<p>Never one to miss a publicity opportunity, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Ceau%C8%99escu">Nicolae Ceaușescu</a> – Romania’s dictatorial ruler – also looked to get in on the action. He declared Comăneci an official <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_of_Socialist_Labour">Hero of Socialist Labour</a>. </p>
<p>In the same breath, Ceaușescu moved to safeguard what he regarded as a national asset and propaganda tool – a device that might prove useful when stoking mass patriotic sentiment. This explains why, over the coming years, Comăneci and those close to her were subjected to sustained state surveillance. </p>
<p>Compounding matters, in 1985, the Ceaușescu regime refused to let Comăneci – who was by then working as a sports ambassador – travel abroad, except to other communist countries.</p>
<p>This, in turn, accounted for Comăneci’s decision to leave Romania in 1989. She simply couldn’t stand the pressure and intrusion any more. </p>
<p>“All the restrictions in her life convinced her that she should abandon caution and do something that was not in her nature,” Olaru surmises, even if that life-threatening decision to set out to the United States likely meant she would never see her family and loved ones again.</p>
<p>Such is the dramatic personal narrative that Olaru puts forward in his book, which makes impressive use of 25,000 pages’ worth of secret police documentation, state intelligence archives and extensive wiretap recordings.</p>
<p>This, though, is but one part of a larger and more distressing story.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-from-delicate-teens-to-fierce-women-simone-biles-athleticism-and-advocacy-have-changed-gymnastics-forever-124485">Friday essay: from delicate teens to fierce women, Simone Biles' athleticism and advocacy have changed gymnastics forever</a>
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<h2>Influential, abusive coaches</h2>
<p>I mentioned before that Comăneci and those close to her were, in the wake of her triumph in Montreal, subject to remarkable, even intolerable levels of state-sanctioned scrutiny.</p>
<p>This applied, too, to the married couple who trained Comăneci from a young age.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540336/original/file-20230801-27-uthhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540336/original/file-20230801-27-uthhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540336/original/file-20230801-27-uthhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540336/original/file-20230801-27-uthhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540336/original/file-20230801-27-uthhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540336/original/file-20230801-27-uthhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=721&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540336/original/file-20230801-27-uthhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=721&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540336/original/file-20230801-27-uthhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=721&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Coach Béla Károlyi (middle) and Nadia Comăneci (right), with gymnast Teodora Ungureanu.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9la_K%C3%A1rolyi">Béla</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1rta_K%C3%A1rolyi">Márta Károlyi</a> are two of the most influential and successful coaches in the history of gymnastics. They are also extremely <a href="https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/bela-karolyi-revealed/">controversial</a> - as viewers of <a href="https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/athlete-a-review-netflix-about-larry-nassar-trial-47554030">Athlete A</a> will already know.</p>
<p>Consider what Olaru has to say about the pair, who feature prominently in every chapter of his book. (In fact, there are moments when one could be forgiven for thinking Olaru is really interested in writing about the Károlyis and the secret police.) A word of warning though: this is confronting material. </p>
<p>“Today,” Olaru remarks, “it is no secret that the Károlyis used to beat their gymnasts.” </p>
<p>Indeed, “Béla Károlyi’s hand was so heavy that the victim of his abuse, a defenceless child, would be knocked over, bowled across the floor.” </p>
<p>Olaru makes the point – and the archival record supports him – that the abuse Comăneci and her peers suffered at the hands of Bela Károlyi was not only physical:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Repeated blows, verbal violence and insults, starvation, excessive and aberrant control of medical care, and the inhuman demand to train and compete even when injured caused deep wounds in the psyches of the gymnasts, who distanced themselves from him, regarding him as cruel, and certainly not as a protective father figure. Only when there was a need to manipulate them did he tell the young gymnasts he cared about them.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>How, we might ask, did Károlyi get away with such appalling behaviour?</p>
<p>The depressing conclusion Oralu reaches is that the Romanian authorities chose to ignore the multiple warnings that came their way. Officials at the very “highest level” were more than happy to support Károlyi, provided he kept on winning.</p>
<p>And this he did, up until the moment – <a href="https://sports.jrank.org/pages/2456/Karolyi-Bela-Defection.html">in March 1981</a> – when he and Márta defected to the US. </p>
<p>Having traded communism for capitalism, the Károlyis set about re-establishing themselves as trainers in their adopted state of Texas. US gymnasts were keen to work with the man who had played such an important role in Comăneci’s career. </p>
<p>Károlyi’s first major success in the US came as the coach of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Lou_Retton">Mary Lou Retton</a>, who won a gold medal at the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/los-angeles-1984">1984 Los Angeles Olympics</a>, becoming the first US woman to win the all-round gold medal in Olympic gymnastics.</p>
<p>This achievement caught the attention of <a href="https://usagym.org/">USA Gymnastics</a>. Béla Károlyi went on to serve as a member of the US Olympic coaching staff at four more Olympic Games, and worked as <a href="https://usagym.org/bela-karolyi-to-step-aside-as-national-team-coordinator-for-usa-gymnastics/">National Team Coordinator</a> until 2001 (when Márta Károlyi took over). </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/girls-no-more-why-elite-gymnastics-competition-for-women-should-start-at-18-143182">Girls no more: why elite gymnastics competition for women should start at 18</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>America’s gymnastics community knew</h2>
<p>Given Béla Károlyi’s success in the US warrants barely a mention in Oralu’s study (which takes leave of the Károlyis not long after they make their break for the West), one could be forgiven for asking if any of this matters. </p>
<p>It matters because it’s clear the US gymnastics community was well aware of Károlyi’s reputation.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540338/original/file-20230801-19-j573dz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540338/original/file-20230801-19-j573dz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540338/original/file-20230801-19-j573dz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=863&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540338/original/file-20230801-19-j573dz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=863&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540338/original/file-20230801-19-j573dz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=863&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540338/original/file-20230801-19-j573dz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1084&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540338/original/file-20230801-19-j573dz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1084&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540338/original/file-20230801-19-j573dz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1084&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>Take Joan Ryan’s <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/159298/little-girls-in-pretty-boxes-by-joan-ryan/">Little Girls in Pretty Boxes</a>, published in 1995, which exposed the abusive reality of professional gymnastics in the US. </p>
<p>Given what we have already established, it will come as no surprise to discover Béla Károlyi and his methods came under sustained attack in Ryan’s searing exposé. </p>
<p>But nothing happened. USA Gymnastics continued to place its trust - and the bodies of its athletes - in Károlyi’s hands. </p>
<p>The impression we are left with is the same one we get when reading Oralu: it seems some people are significantly more interested in the pursuit of gymnastic success than in the physical and mental health of the gymnasts themselves.</p>
<p>Troublingly, as the Károlyis’ involvement in the devastating <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Gymnastics_sex_abuse_scandal">USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal</a> of recent years demonstrates, it appears not much has changed since the days of Comăneci and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Curtain">Iron Curtain</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209988/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexander Howard does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Nadia Comăneci was the most famous gymnast in the world when she defected from Romania in 1989. A new book includes 25,000 pages worth of secret police surveillance material.Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2099612023-07-18T07:23:10Z2023-07-18T07:23:10Z‘Existential questions’: is this the beginning of the end of the Commonwealth Games?<p>Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Tuesday that the Victorian government has withdrawn from its commitment to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, citing an anticipated cost blowout from an original estimate of A$2.6 billion to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/18/australia-commonwealth-games-2026-victoria-cancels-event-after-funding-shortfall">over $6-$7 billion</a>.</p>
<p>Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive Craig Phillips described the decision as “beyond disappointing”. Phillips questions the government’s figures, <a href="https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2023/07/18/commonwealth-games-federation/">saying that the</a> cost of running the Gold Coast event in 2018 was $1.2 billion and the 2022 Birmingham Games was $1.8 billion.</p>
<p>The government said existing funding set aside for the games will remain invested in regional projects intended to create an event “legacy”. </p>
<p>Aside from the viability of the 2026 event, Victoria pulling out of hosting the event raises the broader question of whether the Commonwealth Games will survive.</p>
<h2>How has this happened?</h2>
<p>Victoria secured the Commonwealth Games in April 2022 with a unique multi-region model that sought to bring the event to regional Victoria.</p>
<p>Despite the obvious risks and costs associated with decentralising a major event away from pre-existing infrastructure in Melbourne, Andrews <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victoria-confirms-bid-for-2026-commonwealth-games-20220216-p59wvp.html">noted</a> at bid submission that</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Victoria is Australia’s sporting state, and, if awarded the 2026 Commonwealth Games would demonstrate to the world a new way to deliver the competition.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Andrews made clear the decision to withdraw was entirely financial, stating that the new estimated cost of potentially over $7 billion “does not represent value for money”.</p>
<p>When pressed at his media conference to provide accountability as to how his government’s costing could have been so grossly inaccurate, Andrews said that certain event costs were unforeseeable.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>What could not be reasonably foreseen, and was not foreseen, was the costs incurred in terms of services, security, transport […] there were estimates that were made and those estimates are clearly well and truly under the actual cost.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia dispute these costs estimates. They <a href="https://www.commonwealthsport.com/news/3594069/response-to-victoria-government-2026-commonwealth-game-host-withdrawal">signalled</a> the blame for any cost overruns lies with the Victorian government.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The numbers quoted to us today of $6 billion are 50% more than those advised to the Organising Committee board at its meeting in June. </p>
<p>Since awarding Victoria the Games, the Government has made decisions to include more sports and an additional regional hub, and changed plans for venues, all of which have added considerable expense, often against the advice of the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1681087774110384128"}"></div></p>
<h2>The implications</h2>
<p>The decision to withdraw from hosting the event will still incur costs. This includes pre-existing costs related to staffing contracts, renting premises and marketing, as well as to-be-determined contractual break costs as negotiated with the Commonwealth Games Federation.</p>
<p>The financial costs of the withdrawal, however, may pale against the longer-term reputational damage done to Victoria and perhaps Australia more broadly.</p>
<p>This decision may also damage Andrews’ reputation. In proposing an untested regional games delivery model, it was incumbent on the government to adopt a particularly rigorous process to ensure the the event’s viability, which does not appear to have been done.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1681093832811905024"}"></div></p>
<h2>Is Victoria still Australia’s ‘sporting capital’?</h2>
<p>Victoria has long proclaimed itself Australia’s (and even the world’s) <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/INFORMIT.143058285756777">sporting capital</a>. The state has developed an unparalleled portfolio of major sport events since the 1980s, and become a global exemplar in executing major events in the process. </p>
<p>But withdrawing from the 2026 Commonwealth Games arguably represents Australia’s most prominent sporting failure of the past half-century, and is a significant reputational blow to Victoria’s sporting pre-eminence.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/for-cities-hosting-major-sporting-events-is-a-double-edged-sword-76929">For cities, hosting major sporting events is a double-edged sword</a>
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<p>What’s more, in an <a href="https://inqld.com.au/news/2023/07/12/take-that-melbourne-brisbane-now-rated-as-australias-sports-capital/">annual global ranking of sport cities</a> published last month, before the Commonwealth Games decision, Brisbane (15th) leapfrogged Melbourne (23rd) and Sydney (44th) to become Australia’s top ranked.</p>
<p>Brisbane’s success isn’t only attributable to its impending hosting of the 2032 Olympics. Its ranking also recognises that the FIFA Women’s World Cup is being played predominantly in the north-east Australian states due to <a href="https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/soccer/not-a-realistic-option-why-the-matildas-aren-t-playing-at-the-mcg-20230717-p5doxk.html">stadium challenges</a> associated with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/03/melbourne-falls-short-in-womens-world-cup-venue-allocation">AFL-orientated</a> Victoria.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, South Australia’s recent sporting successes include the hosting of <a href="https://www.afl.com.au/news/906620/afl-to-gather-round-again-in-sa-for-next-three-years">AFL Gather Round</a>, LIV Golf and recent procurement of the <a href="https://supernetball.com.au/news/location-2024-ssn-grand-final-revealed#:%7E:text=Adelaide%20will%20host%20the%202024,at%20the%20Adelaide%20Entertainment%20Centre.">2024 Super Netball</a> final from Victoria.</p>
<p>Victoria’s grip on the “sports capital” title is increasingly tenuous.</p>
<h2>The end of the Commonwealth Games?</h2>
<p>Perhaps the most critical question is the viability not only of the 2026 Games, but also the broader Commonwealth Games movement.</p>
<p>Victoria’s withdrawal continues a trend of recent instability. In 2017, the South African city of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-games-commonwealth-durban-idUSKBN16K1UN">Durban</a> was stripped of 2022 hosting rights for a failure to meet key obligations around governance, venues and funding.</p>
<p>However, whereas the Commonwealth Games Federation had just under 2,000 days to secure a replacement host for 2022, Victoria’s withdrawal has occurred only 973 days prior to the start of the event.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/major-sports-events-are-they-worth-it-80691">Major sports events: are they worth it?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The movement’s broader existence is perilous given there’s a shrinking pool of host cities. Victoria was the <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/melbourne-set-to-step-into-breach-as-2026-commonwealth-games-host-city-20220118-p59p6r.html">only formal applicant</a> for the 2026 edition. </p>
<p>This is a challenge faced by large sporting events more broadly, with potential applicants <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Sport-Management-in-Australia-Organisation-Development-and-Global-Perspectives/Karg-Shilbury-Phillips-Rowe-Fujak/p/book/9781032330242?_ga=1233395845.1684800000">increasingly wary</a> of the significant costs.</p>
<p>Even the summer and winter Olympic Games have increasingly struggled to attract applicants. This resulted in the <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/2024-2028-host-city-election">unprecedented</a> move to simultaneously award the 2024 and 2028 summer games to Paris and Los Angeles in 2017 – normally the summer games are awarded to one city at a time.</p>
<p>With seemingly little global appetite to host the event, and broader cultural discussions in Australia and abroad surrounding the role of the monarchy, existential questions surround the Commonwealth Games movement.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209961/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A shrinking pool of host cities, high costs, and cultural questions about the monarchy: why the Commonwealth Games are under threat.Hunter Fujak, Lecturer in Sport Management, Deakin UniversityDamien Whitburn, Lecturer, Sport Management, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2024272023-04-11T19:30:17Z2023-04-11T19:30:17ZRefugee team offers a way for Russian and Belarusian dissidents to compete at the Paris Olympics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520098/original/file-20230410-440-7ac19x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C6%2C4473%2C2930&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The 2024 Summer Olympic Games are scheduled to take place from July 26 to Aug. 11 in France.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Michel Euler)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/refugee-team-offers-a-way-for-russian-and-belarusian-dissidents-to-compete-at-the-paris-olympics" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The International Olympic Committee (IOC) began 2023 with high hopes of maintaining its solidarity with Ukraine, but its call to <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/statement-on-solidarity-with-ukraine-sanctions-against-russia-and-belarus-and-the-status-of-athletes">allow individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to attend the 2024 Paris Games</a> has caused backlash. </p>
<p>In response to this position, international athlete-led organization Global Athlete <a href="https://www.globalathlete.org/our-word/ioc-welcomes-russia-and-threatens-to-suspend-ukraine">released a statement by Ukrainian athletes in February</a> calling on Olympic officials to withdraw support for the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Olympic Games. </p>
<p>More athletes spoke up following the International Fencing Federation’s (IFF) March 10 <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1134597/fie-russia-decision-return">decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international fencing events</a> — just in time for them to compete in qualifications for next year’s Olympics. </p>
<p>In an <a href="https://www.globalathlete.org/our-word/over-300-call-ioc-and-fie-to-uphold-ban-russia-belarus">open letter to the IOC and IFF</a>, over 300 international fencers decried the decision, arguing that allowing these athletes back into world sport sets a grievous precedent where “a nation can violate the values and rules of sport and international peace without fear of the consequences.” </p>
<p>Fencers claimed that any proposed conditions for neutrality for these athletes, such as proving “they’re opposed to the war” or not “tied to the Russian military,” are unrealistic because <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/07/russia-criminalizes-independent-war-reporting-anti-war-protests">public denunciation of the war is illegal in Russia</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A crowd of people hold a banner that says 'No Russia and Belarus at Paris 2024 Olympics'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519131/original/file-20230403-1355-u6a9on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519131/original/file-20230403-1355-u6a9on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519131/original/file-20230403-1355-u6a9on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519131/original/file-20230403-1355-u6a9on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519131/original/file-20230403-1355-u6a9on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519131/original/file-20230403-1355-u6a9on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519131/original/file-20230403-1355-u6a9on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Activists protest the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral flag at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in front of the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland in March 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These expressions of outrage — the latest in a tide of Olympic athletes claiming the IOC is side-stepping commitments to bar Russia and Belarus from international sport — are happening in the wake of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-place-nuclear-weapons-near-belarus-borders-with-nato-2023-04-03/">which Belarus has explicitly endorsed</a>.</p>
<h2>An Olympic tightrope</h2>
<p>On March 28, the <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-issues-recommendations-for-international-federations-and-international-sports-event-organisers">IOC released recommendations</a> for the participation of individual athletes in international sport. The IOC recommended that individual athletes from Russia and Belarus be allowed to participate as “neutral athletes” while their nations remained barred from competing.</p>
<p>This position <a href="https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/2021/03/udhr.pdf">aligns with human rights law</a> that states everyone is entitled to the rights and freedoms of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This decision follows increased pressure from legal experts, including the <a href="https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=27552">United Nations Human Rights Council</a>, to allow individual athletes to compete in international sport. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A white older man in a suit gestured while speaking from behind a desk. The Olympic flag stands in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519133/original/file-20230403-24-c990ub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519133/original/file-20230403-24-c990ub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519133/original/file-20230403-24-c990ub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519133/original/file-20230403-24-c990ub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519133/original/file-20230403-24-c990ub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519133/original/file-20230403-24-c990ub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519133/original/file-20230403-24-c990ub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks at the opening of the executive board meeting of the committee in Lausanne, Switzerland on March 28, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The idea of individual athletes competing as neutral athletes is problematic, however, because they still retain their nationality. “For Russian and Belarusian athletes,” <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/olympians-coc-letter-olympics-paris-russia-belarus-1.6771468">argued a group of Canadian athletes</a>, “there is no distinction between the athlete and the state.”</p>
<p>This statement <a href="https://bnn-news.com/estonia-will-participate-in-the-olympics-latvia-considers-boycotting-them-242580">echoed Estonian Olympic Committee President Urmas Sõõrumaa’s sentiments</a> of early February: “Let’s not forget that practically the majority of Russian athletes who make it to the podium are military athletes and get a (military) medal when they win.”</p>
<h2>Political pressure</h2>
<p>Political pressure, too, is mounting. On Feb. 3, three of Russia’s neighbours announced <a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-sports-latvia-estonia-soviet-union-919f44f8ea48fc382297e02a31f3e411">they would consider boycotting the Olympic Games</a> if Russian athletes weren’t banned from the Paris Games. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-on-russias-war-on-ukraine-and-international-sport/statement-on-russias-war-on-ukraine-and-international-sport">Feb. 21 joint declaration by ministers</a> of 34 national governments stated: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“As long as these fundamental issues of military entanglement and the substantial lack of clarity and concrete detail on a workable ‘neutrality’ model are not addressed, we do not agree that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed back into competition.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>These arguments present a challenge, but also provide the framework for a solution for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete while ensuring their separation from their respective national sport apparatus.</p>
<h2>A possible solution</h2>
<p>A possible solution that doesn’t require moral compromises or an abandonment of universal human rights and the tenets of Olympism, is for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as stateless members of the <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/refugee-olympic-team">Refugee Olympic Team</a>. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/refugee-olympic-team-to-shine-spotlight-on-worldwide-refugee-crisis">Refugee Olympic Team was created in 2016</a> to “act as a symbol of hope for refugees worldwide and bring global attention to the magnitude of the refugee crisis.”</p>
<p>Enrolment in the Refugee Olympic Team constitutes a powerful rejection of the politics and/or oppressive situations in athletes’ homelands. The place of origin should make no difference: whether Russia or Syria, Belarus or South Sudan, athletes are massed together as a homogenous refugee team.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A group of people wearing dark blue suits wave behind a person carrying an Olympic flag and a sign that says 'Refugee Olympic Team'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520094/original/file-20230410-7003-53mb1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520094/original/file-20230410-7003-53mb1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520094/original/file-20230410-7003-53mb1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520094/original/file-20230410-7003-53mb1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520094/original/file-20230410-7003-53mb1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520094/original/file-20230410-7003-53mb1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520094/original/file-20230410-7003-53mb1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Yusra Mardini and Tachlowini Gabriyesos, of the Refugee Olympic Team, carry the Olympic flag during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan in July 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The term <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/what-is-a-refugee.html">refugee has a legal definition under the United Nations</a>, and it would be reasonable to assume that any Russian or Belarusian athletes who truly disavow the war, and thus risk persecution at home, would qualify.</p>
<p>Inviting these athletes to compete on the Refugee Team would logically disconnect Russian or Belarusian military complicity and demonstrate the IOC’s commitment to treating athletes equally, regardless of where they are from. </p>
<h2>Standing for unity and peace</h2>
<p>The IOC has an opportunity to disavow the violence and illegality of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by extending the platform and status of refugee athletes to Russian and Belarusian athletes.</p>
<p>The IOC should continue to ban Russia’s and Belarus’ Olympic committees and bar athletes who support the Ukrainian-Russian war from competing in the Olympic Games, whose rings above all stand for unity and peace. </p>
<p>The IOC should allow stateless athletes to compete on terms that <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-olympics-2020-russia-idUKKBN1Z10HU">have already proven themselves to be effective in the past</a>. Olympic values illustrate humanity’s unwillingness to be subsumed by the bloody politics of oppression, violence and war.</p>
<p>The inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes on the refugee team could potentially address Olympic athletes’ criticism of the IOC’s suggested pledge of disavowal.</p>
<p>It’s important to note the serious potential consequences for Russian and Belarusian athletes who take this pathway. The term “refugee” is not a shield against any retribution their former governments might take. These athletes might not only end up stateless, but might also not have a home to go back to or to live in safety. </p>
<p>The potential for statelessness may be addressed, as it is with the current refugee team, even if only temporarily. However it raises the question of whether enforcing one human right — that of non-discrimination — justifies the violation of another: <a href="https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/2021/03/udhr.pdf">the right to a nationality</a>. This is another serious potential weakness that we don’t yet have a solution for.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202427/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The IOC has an opportunity to disavow the violence and illegality of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by extending the platform and status of refugee athletes to Russian and Belarusian athletes.Angela Schneider, Director, International Centre for Olympic Studies, Western UniversityAlan C Oldham, Graduate Student, International Centre for Olympic Studies, Western UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1807942023-01-25T20:22:30Z2023-01-25T20:22:30ZOne of these underrated animals should be Australia’s 2032 Olympic mascot. Which would you choose?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506293/original/file-20230125-14-95y6eq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=89%2C11%2C3778%2C1982&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain/The Conversation/Shutterstockl</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em><strong>Am I not pretty enough?</strong> This article is part of <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/am-i-not-pretty-enough-106740">The Conversation’s series</a> introducing you to unloved Australian animals that need our help.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Australia is set to host the 2032 Olympic games in Queensland’s capital Brisbane, captivating an audience of billions. With so many eyes on Australia, the burning question is, of course, what animal(s) should be the official mascot(s) of the games, and why? </p>
<p><a href="https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/olympic-mascots">Summer Olympics past</a> have featured recognisable animal mascots such as Waldi the daschund (Munich, 1972), Amik the beaver (Montreal, 1976), Misha the bear (Moscow, 1980), Sam the eagle (Los Angeles, 1984) and Hodori the tiger (Seoul, 1988).</p>
<p>Iconic and familiar mammals and birds dominate the list. The trend continued at Sydney’s 2000 games which featured Syd (playtpus), Olly (kookaburra) and Millie (echidna).</p>
<p>But the Brisbane Olympics is a great opportunity to showcase lesser known species, including those with uncertain futures. </p>
<p>Sadly Australia is a world leader in extinctions. Highlighting species many are unfamiliar with, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/labors-plan-to-save-threatened-species-is-an-improvement-but-its-still-well-short-of-what-we-need-191845">threats to them</a> and their respective <a href="https://theconversation.com/existential-threat-to-our-survival-see-the-19-australian-ecosystems-already-collapsing-154077">habitats and ecosystems</a>, could help to stimulate increased conservation efforts. </p>
<p>From a “worm” that shoots deadly slime from its head, to a blind marsupial mole that “swims” underground, let’s take a look at three leading candidates (plus 13 special mentions). What makes them so special, and what physical and athletic talents do they possess?</p>
<h2>Onychophorans, or velvet worms</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Cartoon of a velvet worm riding an olympic velodrome bicycle" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506288/original/file-20230125-20-95y6eq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506288/original/file-20230125-20-95y6eq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506288/original/file-20230125-20-95y6eq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506288/original/file-20230125-20-95y6eq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506288/original/file-20230125-20-95y6eq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506288/original/file-20230125-20-95y6eq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506288/original/file-20230125-20-95y6eq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A potential mascot design.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.wettropics.gov.au/the-velvet-worm">Velvet worms</a> are extraordinary forest and woodland denizens thought to have changed little in roughly 500 million years. Australian velvet worms are often smaller than 5 centimetres and look a bit like a worm-caterpillar mash up. They’re found across Australia and <a href="https://australian.museum/learn/animals/worms/velvet-worm/">other locations globally</a>.</p>
<p>Their waterproof, velvet-like skin is covered in tiny protusions called papillae, which have tactile and smell-sensitive <a href="https://australian.museum/learn/animals/worms/velvet-worm/">bristles on the end</a>. Velvet worms possess antennae and Australian species have 14-16 pairs of stumpy “legs”, each with a claw that helps them move across uneven surfaces such as logs and rocks. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505765/original/file-20230123-8209-5v38zg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505765/original/file-20230123-8209-5v38zg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505765/original/file-20230123-8209-5v38zg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505765/original/file-20230123-8209-5v38zg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505765/original/file-20230123-8209-5v38zg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=285&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505765/original/file-20230123-8209-5v38zg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505765/original/file-20230123-8209-5v38zg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505765/original/file-20230123-8209-5v38zg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A velvet worm from Mt Elliot, North Queensland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alexander Dudley/Faunaverse</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Their colour varies between species, often blue, grey, purple or brown. Many display exquisite, detailed and showy patterns that can include diamonds and stripes – clear X-factor for a potential mascot.</p>
<p>Although velvet worms may be relatively small and, dare I say it, adorable, don’t be fooled. These animals are voracious predators.</p>
<p>They capture unsuspecting prey – other invertebrates – at night by <a href="https://www.wired.com/2014/03/the-creature-feature-10-fun-facts-about-velvet-worms/">firing sticky slime</a> from glands on their heads. Once the victim is subdued, velvet worms bite their prey and inject saliva that breaks down tissues and liquefies them, ready to be easily sucked out. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505763/original/file-20230123-35082-x09gac.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505763/original/file-20230123-35082-x09gac.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505763/original/file-20230123-35082-x09gac.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505763/original/file-20230123-35082-x09gac.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505763/original/file-20230123-35082-x09gac.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505763/original/file-20230123-35082-x09gac.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505763/original/file-20230123-35082-x09gac.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A velvetine cuddle. A group of adult and juvenile Euperipatoides rowelii.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tanya Latty</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If this isn’t intimidating enough, one species (<a href="https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/creatura-blog/2014/02/velvet-worm-euperipatoides-rowelli/"><em>Euperipatoides rowelli</em></a>) lives and hunts in groups, with a social hierarchy under the control of a dominant female who feeds first following a kill. </p>
<p>Despite their formidable abilities, velvet worms are vulnerable to habitat destruction and fragmentation, and a changing climate. </p>
<h2>Jalbil (Boyd’s forest dragon)</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Cartoon of a jalbil as an Olympic rock climber" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506289/original/file-20230125-18-45ompr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506289/original/file-20230125-18-45ompr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506289/original/file-20230125-18-45ompr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506289/original/file-20230125-18-45ompr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506289/original/file-20230125-18-45ompr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506289/original/file-20230125-18-45ompr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506289/original/file-20230125-18-45ompr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A potential mascot design.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://arod.com.au/arod/reptilia/Squamata/Agamidae/Hypsilurus/boydii?q=boyd">Jalbil</a> is found in the rainforests of tropical North Queensland. They are a truly striking lizard – bearing a prominent pointy crest and a line of spikes down the back, distinct conical cheek scales and a resplendent yellow throat (dewlap) which can be erected to signal to each other. </p>
<p>Despite their colourful and ornate appearance, Jalbil can be very hard to spot as they’re perfectly camouflaged with their surroundings. They spend much of their time clinging vertically to tree trunks often at or below human head-height. Some have favourite trees they use more frequently.</p>
<p>If they detect movement, they simply move around the tree trunk to be out of direct view. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505773/original/file-20230123-51865-egupay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505773/original/file-20230123-51865-egupay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505773/original/file-20230123-51865-egupay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505773/original/file-20230123-51865-egupay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505773/original/file-20230123-51865-egupay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505773/original/file-20230123-51865-egupay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505773/original/file-20230123-51865-egupay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505773/original/file-20230123-51865-egupay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jalbil (Boyd’s forest dragon) is found in the rainforests of North Queensland’s Wet Tropics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Chris Jolly</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Reaching lengths of around 50cm, Jalbil mostly eat invertebrates, including ants, beetles, grasshoppers and worms. Males may have access to multiple female mates, and breeding is stimulated by storms at the beginning of the wet season.</p>
<p>While Jalbil are under no immediate threat, <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.aai9214">their future is uncertain</a>. Jalbil are ectothermic, so unlike mammals and birds (endothermic), they can’t regulate their internal body heat through metabolism. Sunlight is often very patchy and limited below the rainforest canopy, restricting opportunities for basking to warm up.</p>
<p>Instead, Jalbil simply allow their body temperature to conform with the ambient conditions of their environment (thermo-conforming). This means if climate change leads to <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1098/rspb.2003.2464">increased temperatures in the rainforests of Australia’s Wet Tropics</a>, Jalbil may no longer be able to maintain a safe body temperature and large areas of habitat may also become unsuitable. </p>
<h2>Itjaritjari and kakarratul (southern and northern marsupial moles)</h2>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="Cartoon of a marsupial mole swimming in an olympic event." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506290/original/file-20230125-24-3jz1on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506290/original/file-20230125-24-3jz1on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506290/original/file-20230125-24-3jz1on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506290/original/file-20230125-24-3jz1on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506290/original/file-20230125-24-3jz1on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506290/original/file-20230125-24-3jz1on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506290/original/file-20230125-24-3jz1on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A potential mascot design.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These remarkable <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/amoty/marsupial-moles-better-underground/">subterranean-dwelling marsupials</a> really are in a league of their own. Both moles can fit in the palm of your hand, measuring up to about 150 millimetres and weighing about as much as a lemon (40-70 grams). </p>
<p>What these diminutive mammals lack in size they make up for in digging power – if only digging were an official Olympic sport. In central dunefields, they can dig <a href="https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2010/09/the-marsupial-mole-an-enduring-enigma">up to 60 kilometres</a> of tunnel per hectare.</p>
<p>Marsupial moles are covered in fine, silky, creamy-gold fur. They have powerful short arms with long claws, shovels for furious digging. Their back legs also help them push. Instead of creating and living in permanent burrows, they “swim” underground across Australia’s deserts for most of their lives. </p>
<p>The impressive adaptations don’t end there either. They also have ridiculously short but strong, tough-skinned tails that serve as anchors while digging. Females also have a backwards-facing pouch and all have nose shields that protect their nostrils, ensuring sand doesn’t end up where it’s not supposed to.</p>
<p>Due to living underground for most of their lives, <a href="https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2010/09/the-marsupial-mole-an-enduring-enigma/">many mole mysteries remain regarding their day-to-day lives</a>. Scientists do know they eat a wide range of invertebrates including termites, beetles and ants, and small reptiles such as geckoes. </p>
<p>But while neither species is thought to be in danger of extinction, there are no reliable population estimates across their vast distributions. What’s more, introduced predators (feral cats and foxes) are known to prey upon them. Itjaritjari is listed as vulnerable in the Northern Territory.</p>
<h2>And 13 special mentions go to…</h2>
<p>With so many amazing wildlife species in Australia, it really is a near impossible task to choose our next mascot. So I also want to give special mentions to the following worthy contenders:</p>
<h2>The Australian giant cuttlefish</h2>
<p>These <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-were-watching-the-giant-australian-cuttlefish-101183">marine animals</a> put on spectacular, colourful displays each year when they form large breeding aggregations. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231609/original/file-20180813-2921-mmd91y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231609/original/file-20180813-2921-mmd91y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231609/original/file-20180813-2921-mmd91y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231609/original/file-20180813-2921-mmd91y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231609/original/file-20180813-2921-mmd91y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231609/original/file-20180813-2921-mmd91y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231609/original/file-20180813-2921-mmd91y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some giant Australian cuttlefish reach one metre in length.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nick Payne</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-were-watching-the-giant-australian-cuttlefish-101183">Why we're watching the giant Australian cuttlefish</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Arnkerrth (thorny devil)</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.wired.com/2014/09/the-creature-feature-10-fun-facts-about-the-thorny-devil">A desert-dwelling</a>, ant-eating machine that can drink simply by standing in puddles.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505513/original/file-20230120-13-32axgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505513/original/file-20230120-13-32axgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505513/original/file-20230120-13-32axgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505513/original/file-20230120-13-32axgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505513/original/file-20230120-13-32axgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505513/original/file-20230120-13-32axgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505513/original/file-20230120-13-32axgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505513/original/file-20230120-13-32axgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Thorny devils can eat more than 1,000 ants per meal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Euan Ritchie</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The Torresian striped possum</h2>
<p>This striking black and white <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/amoty/striped-possum-stripes-are-in/">possum</a> is thought to have the largest brain relative to body size of any marsupial. Their extra long fourth finger makes extracting delicious grubs from rotting wood a cinch.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505500/original/file-20230120-11019-38hkmx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Black and white striped possum on a branch" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505500/original/file-20230120-11019-38hkmx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505500/original/file-20230120-11019-38hkmx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505500/original/file-20230120-11019-38hkmx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505500/original/file-20230120-11019-38hkmx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505500/original/file-20230120-11019-38hkmx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505500/original/file-20230120-11019-38hkmx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505500/original/file-20230120-11019-38hkmx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Torresian striped possum moves with speed throughout North Queensland’s rainforests.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Kila (palm cockatoo)</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2022/jun/26/the-palm-cockatoo-should-be-brisbane-olympics-mascot-imagine-a-stadium-full-of-big-crested-hats-and-drumming-on-seats">Our largest</a> and arguably most spectacular “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=CePXx0HQq6Q">rockatoo</a>”, which plays the drums.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505501/original/file-20230120-26-msl599.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Palm cockatoo on a branch" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505501/original/file-20230120-26-msl599.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505501/original/file-20230120-26-msl599.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505501/original/file-20230120-26-msl599.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505501/original/file-20230120-26-msl599.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505501/original/file-20230120-26-msl599.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505501/original/file-20230120-26-msl599.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505501/original/file-20230120-26-msl599.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Queensland government moved this species onto the endangered list in 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-ringo-starr-of-birds-is-now-endangered-heres-how-we-can-still-save-our-drum-playing-palm-cockatoos-169534">The 'Ringo Starr' of birds is now endangered – here’s how we can still save our drum-playing palm cockatoos</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Ulysses butterfly</h2>
<p>Also known as mountain blue butterflies, the vivid, electric blue wings of <a href="https://www.wettropics.gov.au/beautiful-butterflies">Ulysses butterflies</a> can span as much as 130 millimetres.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505503/original/file-20230120-11007-tk6ari.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Blue and black butterfly" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505503/original/file-20230120-11007-tk6ari.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505503/original/file-20230120-11007-tk6ari.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505503/original/file-20230120-11007-tk6ari.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505503/original/file-20230120-11007-tk6ari.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505503/original/file-20230120-11007-tk6ari.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505503/original/file-20230120-11007-tk6ari.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505503/original/file-20230120-11007-tk6ari.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An exquisite local of North Queensland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Willem van Aken/CSIRO Science Image</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The Australian lungfish</h2>
<p><a href="https://australian.museum/learn/animals/fishes/australian-lungfish-neoceratodus-forsteri-krefft-1870">A living fossil</a>, which is now found only in Queensland, can breath air as well as in the water. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505755/original/file-20230123-38981-zassgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505755/original/file-20230123-38981-zassgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505755/original/file-20230123-38981-zassgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505755/original/file-20230123-38981-zassgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505755/original/file-20230123-38981-zassgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505755/original/file-20230123-38981-zassgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505755/original/file-20230123-38981-zassgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505755/original/file-20230123-38981-zassgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Australian lungfish is restricted to southeast Queensland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alice Clement</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/meet-5-remarkably-old-animals-from-a-greenland-shark-to-a-featherless-seafaring-cockatoo-185605">Meet 5 remarkably old animals, from a Greenland shark to a featherless, seafaring cockatoo</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Mupee, boongary or marbi (Lumholtz’s tree kangaroo)</h2>
<p>Despite being powerfully built for climbing, Lumholtz’s <a href="https://neradatea.com.au/blogs/social-responsibility/get-to-know-lumholtz-s-tree-kangaroo">tree kangaroos</a> are also adept at jumping, when alarmed they’ve been known to jump from heights of up to 15m to the ground.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505504/original/file-20230120-22-dchv7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two tree kangaroos" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505504/original/file-20230120-22-dchv7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505504/original/file-20230120-22-dchv7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505504/original/file-20230120-22-dchv7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505504/original/file-20230120-22-dchv7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505504/original/file-20230120-22-dchv7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505504/original/file-20230120-22-dchv7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505504/original/file-20230120-22-dchv7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Who knew kangaroos could climb and bounce through trees?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/meet-chimbu-the-blue-eyed-bear-eared-tree-kangaroo-your-cuppa-can-help-save-his-species-135033">Meet Chimbu, the blue-eyed, bear-eared tree kangaroo. Your cuppa can help save his species</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The green tree python</h2>
<p><a href="https://arod.com.au/arod/reptilia/Squamata/Pythonidae/Morelia/viridis?q=green%20tree%20python">Green tree pythons</a> are the most vivid green snake you can possibly imagine. While adult pythons are a vibrant green the juveniles may be bright yellow or red (but not in Australia), <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2006.0574">changing colour</a> when they are about half a metre long.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505523/original/file-20230120-20-sxmcy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505523/original/file-20230120-20-sxmcy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505523/original/file-20230120-20-sxmcy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505523/original/file-20230120-20-sxmcy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505523/original/file-20230120-20-sxmcy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505523/original/file-20230120-20-sxmcy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505523/original/file-20230120-20-sxmcy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505523/original/file-20230120-20-sxmcy9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Another reptile with serious wow factor.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Chris Jolly</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The chameleon grasshopper</h2>
<p>Based on temperature, male <a href="https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/creatura-blog/2018/07/chameleon-grasshopper/">chameleon grasshoppers</a> can change colour from black to turquoise, and back to black again, each day.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505740/original/file-20230122-22-w9oazu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Chameleon grasshopper on a flower" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505740/original/file-20230122-22-w9oazu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505740/original/file-20230122-22-w9oazu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505740/original/file-20230122-22-w9oazu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505740/original/file-20230122-22-w9oazu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505740/original/file-20230122-22-w9oazu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505740/original/file-20230122-22-w9oazu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505740/original/file-20230122-22-w9oazu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A kaleidoscope of colour in the Australian alps.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kate Umbers</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Greater gliders</h2>
<p>These <a href="https://theconversation.com/greater-gliders-are-hurtling-towards-extinction-and-the-blame-lies-squarely-with-australian-governments-186469">fabulous fuzzballs</a> can <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/amoty/greater-glider-glide-into-your-heart/">glide up to 100m</a> in a single leap.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/greater-gliders-are-hurtling-towards-extinction-and-the-blame-lies-squarely-with-australian-governments-186469">Greater gliders are hurtling towards extinction, and the blame lies squarely with Australian governments</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Peacock spiders</h2>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/i-travelled-australia-looking-for-peacock-spiders-and-collected-7-new-species-and-named-one-after-the-starry-night-sky-135201">Peacock spiders</a> come in rainbow colours and the males sure know <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYIUFEQeh3g&t=1s">how to shake it</a>. Their vivid colours, such as in the species <em>Maratus volans</em>, are due to tiny scales that form nanoscopic lenses created from carbon nanotubes.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505766/original/file-20230123-41040-s3kiry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505766/original/file-20230123-41040-s3kiry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505766/original/file-20230123-41040-s3kiry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505766/original/file-20230123-41040-s3kiry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505766/original/file-20230123-41040-s3kiry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505766/original/file-20230123-41040-s3kiry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505766/original/file-20230123-41040-s3kiry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505766/original/file-20230123-41040-s3kiry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Peacock spiders are found only in Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Joseph Schubert</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-travelled-australia-looking-for-peacock-spiders-and-collected-7-new-species-and-named-one-after-the-starry-night-sky-135201">I travelled Australia looking for peacock spiders, and collected 7 new species (and named one after the starry night sky)</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Corroboree frogs</h2>
<p>They are a striking black and yellow, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/our-field-cameras-melted-in-the-bushfires-when-we-opened-them-the-results-were-startling-139922">desperately need help</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/our-field-cameras-melted-in-the-bushfires-when-we-opened-them-the-results-were-startling-139922">Our field cameras melted in the bushfires. When we opened them, the results were startling</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>And finally, I’ll always have a soft spot for Australia’s much maligned canid, the <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/amoty/dingo-charismatic-controversial-canid/">dingo</a>.</p>
<p>So now, over to you. What are your suggestions for unique animal mascots at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180794/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Euan G. Ritchie is a Councillor within the Biodiversity Council, and a member of the Ecological Society of Australia and the Australian Mammal Society.</span></em></p>From a ‘worm’ that shoots deadly slime from its head, to a blind marsupial mole that ‘swims’ underground, let’s take a look at three leading candidates (plus 13 special mentions).Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1914132022-10-13T15:43:12Z2022-10-13T15:43:12ZWhy Canada should invest more in teaching kids how to play chess<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488605/original/file-20221006-12-urtylf.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3840%2C2160&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The government should invest in chess to foster more Canadian success at international competitions</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Chess has recently been in the news far more than usual. First, there was the runaway success of the Netflix miniseries <em>The Queen’s Gambit</em>. That made chessboards the new toilet paper as retailers and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/02/queens-gambit-ignites-sales-for-spanish-chessboard-maker">manufacturers struggled to meet the demand</a>. Now there’s a high-profile <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/oct/04/hans-niemann-chess-com-cheating-investigation-magnus-carlsen">cheating scandal</a> rocking the chess world. </p>
<p>But amid those headlines, the best recent chess news for Canadians is the quieter story of Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux, a Québec teen who recently <a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-s-shawn-rodrigue-lemieux-becomes-world-chess-champion-1.6073479">won the world under-18 chess championship</a>: a first for a Québecer and only the second time for a Canadian.</p>
<p>Unlike the cheating scandal and the fictional depiction of chess in <em>The Queen’s Gambit</em>, the story of Rodrigue-Lemieux is unequivocally good and real. It should inspire and motivate us as a nation to invest more in chess so that his accomplishment leads to more Canadian success at international competitions. </p>
<p>Success at the highest levels of chess costs money. Investing in chess as a sport and as a mandatory subject in schools would be money well spent.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489206/original/file-20221011-10401-5xogic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A large room filled with people sitting at tables playing chess." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489206/original/file-20221011-10401-5xogic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489206/original/file-20221011-10401-5xogic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489206/original/file-20221011-10401-5xogic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489206/original/file-20221011-10401-5xogic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489206/original/file-20221011-10401-5xogic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489206/original/file-20221011-10401-5xogic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489206/original/file-20221011-10401-5xogic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Participants compete in the 44th Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram, India on July 29, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Chess as a sport</h2>
<p>This year <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/sport-organizations/national/funding.html">Sport Canada has supported</a> hockey in Canada with nearly $7 million. It has given an additional $1.5 million toward individual hockey players through its athlete assistance program. But Sport Canada isn’t just generous to hockey. It’s giving more than $300,000 to bowling; $5.2 million to curling; $200,000 to surfing; over $1 million to cricket; almost $700,000 to ringette; about $250,000 to skateboarding; and more than $500,000 to archery.</p>
<p>What does chess get from Sport Canada? Nothing.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/funding/sport-support/accountability-framework.html">According to Sport Canada</a>, chess does not qualify for sport funding for the simple reason that chess is not a sport. But chess satisfies every single criterion for being a sport, except one: it is not considered a physical activity. It is merely a “game of skill,” a board game like Monopoly or Scrabble, that requires mental effort but no physical, bodily effort. </p>
<p>Sport Canada’s position on chess may be shared by many Canadians, but it is mistaken and out of step with the position of many other nations for at least two reasons.</p>
<p>First, in 1999, the International Olympic Committee recognized chess as a sport. Chess was even featured as an exhibition event at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. There was an effort to get <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article-should-chess-be-included-in-the-olympic-games/">chess into the 2024 Paris Olympics, but this was rejected</a>. </p>
<p>When the time comes and chess is featured at the Olympics, Canada will not be ready to compete unless we start funding chess now.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489063/original/file-20221010-19-h87jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man wearing a grey suit moves a piece on a chess board." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489063/original/file-20221010-19-h87jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489063/original/file-20221010-19-h87jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489063/original/file-20221010-19-h87jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489063/original/file-20221010-19-h87jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489063/original/file-20221010-19-h87jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489063/original/file-20221010-19-h87jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489063/original/file-20221010-19-h87jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Magnus Carlsen competes at the 2018 World Chess Championship in London.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Second, when chess is played at the highest levels, it is indeed a physical activity, contrary to the naïve position of Sport Canada. In a 2014 <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b04mb80d">interview with the BBC</a>, the greatest chess player of all time and current world champion, Magnus Carlsen revealed: “For me chess is first and foremost a sport and then secondly an art and a science.” </p>
<p>Carlsen credited two of his wins against former world champion, Vishy Anand, to his superior athleticism rather than to his superior chess playing. The games were long ones and, according to Carlsen, “were very much decided in the fifth and sixth hours by physical strength.”</p>
<h2>Investing in chess</h2>
<p>The wisest way for Canada to invest in chess would be to follow the examples of other nations, <a href="https://www.thelocal.es/20150212/chess-set-to-become-school-subject-in-spain/">including Spain</a>, <a href="https://bigthink.com/thinking/chess-should-be-required-in-us-schools/">Armenia</a>, and <a href="https://agenda.ge/en/news/2022/1826">Georgia</a>, that have made chess a mandatory subject in elementary or high school.</p>
<p>The case for including chess among school curricula is usually based on the benefits for improving math skills. But this is not the only benefit of chess.</p>
<p>Chess is a prime example of an interdisciplinary activity. The best chess players throughout history have had one thing in common: they saw in chess something far more serious than a game. The first official champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, declared that chess is a science, and <a href="https://openlibrary.org/books/OL7251810M/The_modern_chess_instructor.">wrote a treatise on the principles of this science</a>. The next champion, Emanuel Lasker, saw chess as a perfect <a href="https://openlibrary.org/books/OL6981278M/Struggle">model of every human struggle</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489062/original/file-20221010-23-yvk1pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman and three young children sit around a table with a chess board. The woman holds a chess piece in her hand while the children raise their arms." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489062/original/file-20221010-23-yvk1pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489062/original/file-20221010-23-yvk1pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489062/original/file-20221010-23-yvk1pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489062/original/file-20221010-23-yvk1pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489062/original/file-20221010-23-yvk1pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489062/original/file-20221010-23-yvk1pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489062/original/file-20221010-23-yvk1pd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Teaching chess is school can help children to see the unity of all the other disciplines they learn at school.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another champion, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRCvqr7XJAo">Alexander Alekhine</a>, thought chess was an art, an opinion that was corroborated by one of the world’s most famous artists, Marcel Duchamp, <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/P/bo44310477.html">who quit making art to focus on chess</a>. Computer scientists frequently turn to chess as a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jun/04/deep-thinking-where-machine-intelligence-ends-human-creativity-begins-garry-kasparov-review">test for artificial intelligence</a>. And former world champion Garry Kasparov has assimilated all of these insights and <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781427202291/howlifeimitateschess">written a book</a> arguing that chess is a model of all aspects of life.</p>
<p>Teaching chess in Canadian schools would train children to see the unity of all the other disciplines they learn at school. It would challenge them to use their minds, and yes, even their bodies, to learn, compete and have fun. While chess is in the spotlight, we should not miss this opportunity to build on the enthusiasm for chess that is present in Canada.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191413/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Hickson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Chess affords young people a host of interdisciplinary skills, Canada should invest in teaching them how to play it.Michael Hickson, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1878382022-08-15T20:03:46Z2022-08-15T20:03:46ZIn a year of sporting mega-events, the Brisbane Olympics can learn a lot from the ones that fail their host cities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478647/original/file-20220811-21-5amk0v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=50%2C0%2C5568%2C3692&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Brisbane 2032 Olympic organising committee board</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Darren England/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In a year of <a href="https://newsmobile.in/articles/2021/12/30/five-major-sporting-events-to-look-forward-to-in-2022/">major sporting events</a> – the Commonwealth Games, the FIFA World Cup, cricket’s T20 World Cup, the Winter Olympics – conversations on greening such events are more essential than ever. While the Brisbane Olympics are a decade away, lessons from events like these need to be applied from the start to maximise the benefits of the city’s transformation for the 2032 Games. Good planning can produce a positive environmental legacy for years to come.</p>
<p>In recent years, the focus on the impacts of such events on host cities, specifically the environmental impacts, has sharpened. As the costs of environmental degradation and climate change mount, Olympic plans must adapt to the host city’s sustainable development or redevelopment, as opposed to the city being developed around the Olympics. </p>
<p>Of course, these considerations are not new. Sustainability has been established as the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/101269000035003004#:%7E:text=The%20IOC%20declaration%20that%20environmental,the%20development%20of%20environmental%20protection.">third pillar of the Olympics</a> since the 1990s. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1555938245065580545"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/leaner-cost-effective-practical-how-the-2032-brisbane-games-could-save-the-olympics-162606">Leaner, cost-effective, practical: how the 2032 Brisbane Games could save the Olympics</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>So what has been achieved so far?</h2>
<p>Past Olympic hosts have tried to reduce their environmental impacts. Whether it’s planting trees to offset carbon emissions, cleaning up rivers, recycling materials to reduce waste, increasing public transport use, or using renewable energy, host cities have been making efforts and claims to be green for years. </p>
<p>And yet behind each host’s proclaimed success lies a multitude of shortcomings.</p>
<p>For example, host cities often need to improve or redevelop their transport systems. Most development projects in the past have been Games-specific rather than focused on improving the city for residents. The priorities are usually in areas most impacted by the event, so often don’t match residents’ ongoing needs.</p>
<p>We saw this in Rio de Janeiro, host of the 2016 Olympics. Projects were constructed in poorly planned locations with limited transport access. Only <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-07/what-japan-learned-from-olympic-white-elephants/100329488">15 of the original 27 venues</a> hosted some sort of post-Olympics event. Others became deteriorating white elephants.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"907892332657348608"}"></div></p>
<p>In London, multiple projects such as the Crossrail project were <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/analysis-london-2012-infrastructure-legacy-or-a-costly-waste/r4q3kqpsv">postponed</a> before the 2012 Olympics. Residents’ needs were downgraded. </p>
<p>One must also wonder how the Olympics can be environmentally friendly when so many resources are diverted or newly invested in projects dedicated to an event lasting a couple of weeks at most.</p>
<p>Some Games, such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics, did <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/legacy/beijing-2008/olympic-blue">improve aspects such as air quality</a> that benefited all residents. However, these improvements were short-term, which is typical among host cities. Even for this year’s Beijing Winter Olympics, where organisers used renewable energy, retrofitted venues and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00321-1">considered a range of emissions</a>, a more holistic approach would have improved outcomes. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/reduce-re-use-recycle-how-the-new-relaxed-olympic-rules-make-brisbanes-2032-bid-affordable-156100">Reduce, re-use, recycle: how the new relaxed Olympic rules make Brisbane’s 2032 bid affordable</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What would a holistic approach look like?</h2>
<p>Host cities haven’t been approaching design, planning and hosting in the most comprehensive and sustainable way. They have tended to focus on the obvious tip-of-the-iceberg environmental impacts. However, many other issues are lurking beneath the surface, with interrelated knock-on effects. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479056/original/file-20220815-50243-ifj9vd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Graphic of full range of environnmental impacts of a mega-event – the obvious tip-of-the-iceberg issues and the hidden ones beneath the surface." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479056/original/file-20220815-50243-ifj9vd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479056/original/file-20220815-50243-ifj9vd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479056/original/file-20220815-50243-ifj9vd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479056/original/file-20220815-50243-ifj9vd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479056/original/file-20220815-50243-ifj9vd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479056/original/file-20220815-50243-ifj9vd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479056/original/file-20220815-50243-ifj9vd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Event organisers typically target the obvious environmental issues – the tip of the iceberg – neglecting the hidden impacts.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Drawn by Manudi Periyapperuma</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For example, planting trees (as Beijing did) can help offset emissions and establish new habitat. However, it has been <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/02/19/1081657319/winter-olympics-environmental-impact">reported</a> that the clearing of habitat in Songshan National Nature Reserve to house the National Alpine Ski Centre could affect vulnerable species. Planting trees as offsets does not excuse such irreversible impacts.</p>
<p>To host truly environment-friendly events, cities must consider the whole picture of emissions, resource consumption, waste production, transport links, habitat impacts and more. This requires a <a href="https://mahb.stanford.edu/blog/systems-thinking-can-help-build-sustainable-world-beginning-conversation/">system-thinking approach</a> that considers the life cycle of the product or project. It means planning where construction takes place, which venues can be retrofitted or recycled, what materials are used and where they are sourced. It also means deciding how construction projects will be powered and, ultimately, ensuring the resources invested in projects are not wasted after the event. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479061/original/file-20220815-56152-g64qfl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Graphic comparing traditional thinking based on simple cause and effect and systems thinking, based on a complex web of interactions." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479061/original/file-20220815-56152-g64qfl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479061/original/file-20220815-56152-g64qfl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=235&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479061/original/file-20220815-56152-g64qfl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=235&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479061/original/file-20220815-56152-g64qfl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=235&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479061/original/file-20220815-56152-g64qfl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=296&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479061/original/file-20220815-56152-g64qfl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=296&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479061/original/file-20220815-56152-g64qfl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=296&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Systems thinking is built on the understanding that every element, aspect or action is part of a constantly evolving web of interactions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://thesolutionsjournal.com/2018/07/08/systems-thinking-can-help-build-sustainable-world-beginning-conversation/">Adapted from M. Seibert (2018)/Solutions</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For the 2000 Olympics, Sydney <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/legacy/sydney-2000/environmental-efforts">set the standard</a> by:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>using materials with low environmental impacts and minimised waste</p></li>
<li><p>using solar power for venues and Olympic villages</p></li>
<li><p>conducting life-cycle assessments of environmental emissions and resource consumption</p></li>
<li><p>designing infrastructure to <a href="https://library.olympics.com/default/digitalCollection/DigitalCollectionAttachmentDownloadHandler.ashx?parentDocumentId=43227&documentId=166681&skipWatermark=true&skipCopyright=true">maximise energy-efficiency</a> and more. </p></li>
</ul>
<h2>How can Brisbane do better?</h2>
<p>So, how can Brisbane build on <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/legacy/sydney-2000/sydney-2000-games-of-environmental-responsibility-and-inclusion">Sydney’s success</a>? The detailed planning is still being resolved, but Brisbane’s more holistic approach gives the city a head-start. Its “climate-positive” commitment has <a href="https://www.premiers.qld.gov.au/publications/categories/reports/assets/2032-qld-games-economic-analysis-summary-report-final.pdf">four core principles</a>:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>repurposing and upgrading existing infrastructure</p></li>
<li><p>encouraging residents to change behaviours and be more environmentally conscious</p></li>
<li><p>implementing pollution and waste management incentives</p></li>
<li><p>better transport planning.</p></li>
</ol>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HqZ4H6fcJ90?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">An overview of the Brisbane 2032 master plan.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The master plan isn’t simply responding to selected environmental issues. Instead, Brisbane is on the path to a climate-positive Games through a combination of:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>integrating public transport services</p></li>
<li><p>strategically locating venues across Queensland – 80% of the venues already exist</p></li>
<li><p>ensuring community needs across the state are met</p></li>
<li><p>investing in innovative solutions such as a sustainable hydrogen industry</p></li>
<li><p>promoting policy and behavioural changes to help solve deep-rooted issues.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>However, Brisbane needs to go further by committing to life-cycle assessments of Olympic projects and following up on promised outcomes over the years.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-brisbane-olympics-are-a-leap-into-an-unknowable-future-164933">The Brisbane Olympics are a leap into an unknowable future</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>One shortcoming stands out in particular. Energy consumption and sourcing are not among the core principles for hosting the Olympics. Even if Brisbane were to achieve a zero-emissions event by using renewable energy, that doesn’t cover emissions from the next ten years of construction. And Queensland is still <a href="https://www.qao.qld.gov.au/reports-resources/reports-parliament/managing-queenslands-transition-renewable-energy">a mostly coal-powered state</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479055/original/file-20220814-59235-gpzhuu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Pie charts showing sources of energy generated in Queensland and breakdown of renewable generation." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479055/original/file-20220814-59235-gpzhuu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479055/original/file-20220814-59235-gpzhuu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479055/original/file-20220814-59235-gpzhuu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479055/original/file-20220814-59235-gpzhuu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479055/original/file-20220814-59235-gpzhuu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479055/original/file-20220814-59235-gpzhuu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479055/original/file-20220814-59235-gpzhuu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">More than 80% of energy generated in Queensland in 2020–21 was from fossil fuels.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.qao.qld.gov.au/reports-resources/reports-parliament/managing-queenslands-transition-renewable-energy#h2-4">Source: Queensland Audit Office analysis</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Brisbane is treating the Olympic Games as a platform for urban development that can transform how we travel, integrate multiple urban centres across South-East Queensland, and result in lasting changes to policies and behaviours. These goals stem from the importance of leaving a climate-positive legacy that will last.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article would not have been possible without the research assistance of Manudi Periyapperuma and the funding support of UQ’s 2022 Global Change Youth Research Program.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187838/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anthony Halog does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Planning has begun for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and already it’s clear the city has learned from the mistakes of other hosts, but its plans to be truly sustainable have one glaring weak point.Anthony Halog, Lecturer/Research Group Leader in Industrial Ecology and Circular Economy, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1782342022-08-04T19:54:29Z2022-08-04T19:54:29ZHow sport transformed the lives of young Colombians<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477217/original/file-20220802-22-nnapcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C2915%2C1928&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Women compete in the 20-kilometre race walk at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 2016. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A project implemented in a low-income area of Bogota, Colombia, part of the <a href="https://jsfd.org/2018/11/01/sport-for-development-and-peace-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/">Sport for Development and Peace</a> initiative, used <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/tokyo-olympics/how-olympic-speed-walking-works-and-what-know-2021-races">Olympic race walking</a> as a tool to foster the development of youth from low-income neighbourhoods.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/sport-development-peace.html">Sport for Development and Peace</a> is an international movement that started with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals from 2000 to 2015, and continued with the <a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals">Sustainable Development Goals from 2015 to 2030.</a></p>
<p>The Colombian program, which ran between 1996 and 2012 in the Ciudad Bolivar area but was discontinued eight years ago, helped underprivileged youth. The program used sport to help young people steer clear of the dangers they faced on a daily basis, including alcoholism, violence, prostitution, drug addiction, vandalism and armed gangs.</p>
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<p>As researchers from German, Colombian and Canadian institutions, we have examined how sport has transformed the lives of <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/colombia/children-and-armed-conflict-colombia-report-secretary-general-s20211022">Colombian youth affected by armed conflict.</a></p>
<h2>50 years of Colombian armed conflict</h2>
<p>Colombia has a <a href="https://www.dane.gov.co/index.php/estadisticas-por-tema/demografia-y-poblacion/censo-nacional-de-poblacion-y-vivenda-2018/cuantos-somos">population of just over 48 million, of which 22.6 per cent are children under the age of 14.</a>
<a href="https://www.centrodememoriahistorica.gov.co/micrositios/informeGeneral/index.html">For more than 50 years</a>, the country has struggled with a war between the government and various rebel factions that has resulted in more than 220,000 deaths, 81.5 per cent of them civilians and the rest combatants.</p>
<p>According to a <a href="https://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/gr2019/pdf/GR2019_English_Full_lowres.pdf#_ga=2.261905161.507924947.1593018366-1968097325.1593018366">2019 report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees</a>, Colombia has eight million internally displaced persons due to the conflict, the largest number in the world. A <a href="https://www.unidadvictimas.gov.co/sites/default/files/documentosbiblioteca/ninez.PDF">Colombian report</a> also found more than two million children and adolescents have been direct victims of the unrest.</p>
<p>Bogotá, the Colombian capital, has more than <a href="https://sitios.dane.gov.co/cnpv/#!/">seven million inhabitants</a> and its territory is divided among 20 localities, known as <em>localidades</em>. </p>
<p>Ciudad Bolivar is among these urban areas struggling <a href="https://revistas.uniandes.edu.co/doi/abs/10.7440/res50.2014.09">with poverty and violence</a>.<a href="http://www.sdp.gov.co/sites/default/files/indice_distribucion_recursos_fdl_17-20.pdf">It has a population of almost 700,000 people</a> in more than 200 neighbourhoods, and is located in the south of the city.</p>
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<img alt="A woman walks along a path towards a crowded urban area seen at the foot of the hills she's walking on." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473073/original/file-20220707-10739-384zrc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473073/original/file-20220707-10739-384zrc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473073/original/file-20220707-10739-384zrc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473073/original/file-20220707-10739-384zrc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473073/original/file-20220707-10739-384zrc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473073/original/file-20220707-10739-384zrc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473073/original/file-20220707-10739-384zrc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A woman walks along a path in the Ciudad Bolivar area, south of Bogota, Colombia, in 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)</span></span>
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<p>This area is one of the main <a href="http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1900-23862010000200008#:%7E:text=Los%20hallazgos%20de%20su%20aplicaci%C3%B3n,sobre%20la%20prevalencia%20de%20ansiedad">settlements for displaced</a> people arriving in the city.</p>
<p>Many are slum-dwellers. Although most inhabitants are <a href="https://www.urosario.edu.co/Universidad-Ciencia-Desarrollo/ur/Fasciculos-Anteriores/Tomo-IV-2009/Fasciculo-3/ur/Localidad-de-Ciudad-Bolivar/">classified as low-income</a>, 14.5 per cent are classified as <a href="http://www.sdp.gov.co/sites/default/files/indice_distribucion_recursos_fdl_17-20.pdf">people with “unmet basic needs,”</a> meaning they endure inadequate and overcrowded housing and inadequate basic services like electricity and drinking water. This includes school-age children who don’t attend school.</p>
<p>The area is also considered one of the <a href="https://www.urosario.edu.co/Universidad-Ciencia-Desarrollo/ur/Fasciculos-Anteriores/Tomo-IV-2009/Fasciculo-3/ur/Localidad-de-Ciudad-Bolivar/">most dangerous in the city</a>, with very few play spaces for children. It’s also risky for them to go anywhere alone due to the presence of street gangs and other illegal groups. </p>
<p>Finally, Ciudad Bolivar is the area in Bogotá with the highest number of children under five years old <a href="http://www.sdp.gov.co/sites/default/files/indice_distribucion_recursos_fdl_17-20.pdf">living in poverty</a> (17 per cent).</p>
<h2>Sport’s impact on young Colombians</h2>
<p>In 1996, an athletics club called the <a href="https://espanol.clonline.org/escuela-de-comunidad"><em>Escuela de comunidad</em></a> was established in the area under the responsibility of a physical education teacher. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">A video segment about the sports club at the <em>Escuela de comunidad</em>. (Tegwen Gadais)</span></figcaption>
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<p>From the beginning, the club received the support of the school and the community. Due to the success of the project, the Marcha Olimpica Club was born in 1999. Young athletes trained under the <a href="https://mapcarta.com/N3497085881"><em>palo del ahorcado</em></a>, an outdoor space that is meaningful to the community.</p>
<p>The objective of the program was twofold. </p>
<p>From the training point of view, the aim was to ensure young people would continue their education in order to obtain technical or professional training that would allow them to earn a living after their retirement from sports. </p>
<p>From an athletic point of view, the program aimed to support young athletes in their athletic development so they could perform to the best of their abilities and achieve important athletic results in their category at the district, national and international levels.</p>
<p>Throughout the years, several athletes qualified for the national championships and the <a href="https://inside.fei.org/fei/games/cont-regi-games/odesur">South American Games</a>. Since its creation, eight young people between 13 and 16 years old were selected to compete in the events of 800-, 1,500- and 3,000-metre Olympic race walking.</p>
<p>Six of them qualified for the national intercollegiate competitions.</p>
<h2>Spurred enrolment</h2>
<p>This initial success attracted an increasing number of youth to register in the club. Subsequently, approximately 100 young athletes began to compete and to win in various competitions, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/04/sports/olympics/olympic-racewalking-is-more-than-just-a-stroll.html">attracting the attention of the international media</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.idrd.gov.co/">The Bogotá sports authority</a> selected about 40 young people to represent the community in Colombian competition and supported them with various services (transportation, tech, food and health). About 10 of the athletes from this club became national, South American, Pan American and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-athletics-world-m20walk-idUSKCN1AT0LR">world championship medallists.</a> </p>
<p>The goal of <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/sport-development-peace.html">Sport for Development and Peace</a> is to use sport as a vehicle to achieve various social and humanitarian missions: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/sportrxiv/rjvcf/">education, social cohesion, health, reintegration, diplomacy and peace</a>. </p>
<p>Sport can serve as a lever for social integration or reintegration in developing countries or areas affected by conflict. For young people in particular, sport can be a means of instilling respect for opponents and rules, teamwork, sportsmanship, determination and discipline.</p>
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<p>Sport can also provide individual development, health promotion and disease prevention, gender equality, social integration, peace-building, conflict prevention and resolution, and disaster and trauma relief. From a development perspective, the objective is to promote sports for the masses, not elite sports.</p>
<h2>How sport can change lives and nations</h2>
<p>In practice, Sport for Development and Peace can take many forms. It can mean organizing clubs and tournaments in El Salvador to taking back territory from street gangs and getting children into school. Or it may be training coaches in the poorest neighbourhoods in Montréal to mentor children. </p>
<p>In Madagascar, sport is used to <a href="https://theconversation.com/les-activites-artistiques-et-sportives-contribuent-au-bien-etre-et-a-la-resilience-145005">keep children busy</a> after school and away from street dangers.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/les-activites-artistiques-et-sportives-contribuent-au-bien-etre-et-a-la-resilience-145005">Les activités artistiques et sportives contribuent au bien-être et à la résilience</a>
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<p>It can also take the form of soccer matches between Palestinian and Israeli youth to work on social cohesion and teach them to respect each other.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473074/original/file-20220707-22-ls2w6w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A Black man wears a green ball cap while shaking the hands of a white man holding a trophy." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473074/original/file-20220707-22-ls2w6w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473074/original/file-20220707-22-ls2w6w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=762&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473074/original/file-20220707-22-ls2w6w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=762&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473074/original/file-20220707-22-ls2w6w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=762&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473074/original/file-20220707-22-ls2w6w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=957&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473074/original/file-20220707-22-ls2w6w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=957&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473074/original/file-20220707-22-ls2w6w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=957&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">South African rugby captain Francois Pienaar receives the Rugby World Cup trophy from President Nelson Mandela after South Africa defeated New Zealand in June 1995.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo / Ross Setford)</span></span>
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<p>None of this is new. In 1894, <a href="https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/69149">Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, declared</a>: “I remain convinced that sport is one of the most powerful elements of peace and I am confident in its future action.”</p>
<p>But it was actually the words of Nelson Mandela that inspired the contemporary movement. <a href="https://www.globalgoals.org/news/sport-for-development-and-peace/">In a speech at the 2000 Laureus World Sports Awards, he said:</a></p>
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<p>“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that few other things can.”</p>
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<p>Indeed, <a href="https://www.history.com/news/nelson-mandela-1995-rugby-world-cup-south-african-unity">Mandela himself used the power of sport at the 1995 Rugby World Cup,</a> after the official end of apartheid, to unite the South African people — perhaps the best example of the healing nature of sport.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/178234/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tegwen Gadais receives funding from the Québec government. He is a consultant to UNESCO and the World Bank. He is affiliated with the UNESCO Chair (cudc.uqam.ca).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mauricio Garzon, Natalia Varela, and Victoria Calzolari Soto do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A Colombian program to help disadvantaged youth used sport to help them steer clear of the dangers they faced on a daily basis, including violence, prostitution, drug addiction, vandalism and gangs.Tegwen Gadais, Professor, Département des sciences de l'activité physique, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Mauricio Garzon, Associate Lecturer, Physical Activity Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Natalia Varela, Professor, Family and Childhood Studies, Universidad Externado de ColombiaVictoria Calzolari Soto, Ph.D. Candidate, Social Sciences, Deutsche Sporthochschule KolnLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1788092022-06-16T11:32:44Z2022-06-16T11:32:44ZLondon’s Olympic legacy: research reveals why £2.2 billion investment in primary school PE has failed teachers<p>The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London were billed as the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/224148/2901179_OlympicLegacy_acc.pdf">“Legacy Games”</a>. The euphoria in the lead up was palpable. London was poised to host a global event that, through the power of sport, promised to have a major impact on health, education and culture, as well as boosting the economy through ambitious infrastructure projects. </p>
<p>Physical education (PE) in primary schools in England was to be a significant benefactor, with the aim to inspire the youngest school-aged children. Renewed investment in PE would be crucial when it came to delivering much of the Games’ legacy. The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, pledged a commitment to school sport in a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-ministers-speech-on-the-london-2012-olympics">speech</a> delivered just before the Games started. He said: “The Olympic spirit of taking part can make a real difference to young people,” adding:</p>
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<p>Sustaining the momentum of the Games means opening people’s eyes to the possibility of sport. Getting young people to follow their heroes and to take part and to get schools to take part as well …</p>
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<p>But as the tenth anniversary of the London Olympics approaches, our research – undertaken over the past six years – tells a very different story. Despite a direct investment of more than <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pe-and-sport-premium-for-primary-schools">£2.2 billion</a> into primary PE since 2012 – making it the highest-funded subject at primary age – most PE lessons in the primary sector are outsourced to sports coaches and instructors who often possess “limited qualifications [and] a minimal knowledge of the pupil recipients”, according to a high-profile cross-party group of <a href="https://fhcappg.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/the-primary-pe-and-sport-premium-report-180219-2.pdf">MPs and experts</a> called in to investigate the funding.</p>
<p>We have identified a clear failure of this Olympic investment – known as the Primary PE and School Sport Premium (or “Premium”) – to deliver on one of its <a href="https://www.afpe.org.uk/physical-education/wp-content/uploads/5-Key-Indicators.pdf#:%7E:text=Primary%20PE%20and%20Sport%20Premium%20-%20Key%20Indicators,the%20school%20as%20a%20tool%20for%20whole-school%20improvement">stated aims</a> of increasing the “confidence, knowledge and skills of all [primary] staff in teaching PE and sport”. We found there is little evidence of any legacy of improved PE teaching within England’s primary school sector. Final-year primary education trainees who took part in our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03054985.2022.2040471">latest research</a> told us it was difficult for them to even observe a primary PE lesson as part of their teacher-training. For most, teaching a PE lesson was not an option.</p>
<p>The London Olympics windfall has instead seen staff teachers sidelined in favour of an army of outsourced providers, looking for business in a well-funded marketplace for the best part of a decade. Many schools say they are happy to pay for this extra expertise, and are happy with the work the private sports coaches do. But there has been a striking lack of auditing of how this taxpayers’ money has been spent. </p>
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<img alt="Tower Bridge in London at night with olympic rings hanging from it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459805/original/file-20220426-20-ctftlo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=136%2C44%2C2311%2C1507&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459805/original/file-20220426-20-ctftlo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459805/original/file-20220426-20-ctftlo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459805/original/file-20220426-20-ctftlo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459805/original/file-20220426-20-ctftlo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459805/original/file-20220426-20-ctftlo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459805/original/file-20220426-20-ctftlo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Tower Bridge during the London 2012 Olympic Games.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-uk-july-15-tower-bridge-1012802149">Shutterstock/Thanongsak Yinnaitham</a></span>
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<p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1356336X17699430">Our research</a> highlights 61 different permutations of who has been teaching PE to children in English primary schools, ranging from accredited sports coaches to parent helpers and teaching assistants. </p>
<p>With the government still in discussions about the future of the Premium beyond the current academic year, and amid growing budgetary pressures, the failure to build primary PE teachers’ skills could lead to a rapid erosion of provision should the funding be cut.</p>
<p>This has in-part been allowed to happen by the extraordinary lack of accountability over the use of this money. Earlier this year, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-review-series-pe/research-review-series-pe#contents">Ofsted concluded</a> that “it is still unclear what precise and sustained positive effect it [the Premium] is having on teachers’ expertise and pupils’ outcomes in PE”. </p>
<p>So what has happened to the £2.2 billion of taxpayers’ money, and what is the real legacy of London 2012 on the teaching profession? We turned to primary schools and recently qualified teachers to find the answers. Perhaps surprisingly in the wake of London 2012, no such extra funding was invested into secondary schools, so the promise of change through PE was left almost entirely to the primary sector.</p>
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<p><strong><em>This story is part of Conversation Insights</em></strong>
<br><em>The Insights team generates <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/insights-series-71218">long-form journalism</a> and is working with academics from different backgrounds who have been engaged in projects to tackle societal and scientific challenges.</em></p>
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<p>Since 2015, we have analysed more than <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03004279.2016.1169485?journalCode=rett20">1,800 school websites</a> and documents detailing primary PE investment. We have also surveyed <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03004279.2020.1736598?journalCode=rett20">1,200 trainee teachers</a> – the largest study of its kind to investigate trainee teachers in primary PE – and conducted a further survey of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03054985.2022.2040471">625 trainee teachers</a>. </p>
<p>The aim was to understand and scope their experience of teaching PE. Our culminated findings have huge implications for the future of primary PE teaching. </p>
<h2>Primary PE and the school sport ‘Premium’</h2>
<p>The post-2012 era triggered a flurry of political interest and financial investment into primary PE. A <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/224148/2901179_OlympicLegacy_acc.pdf">government document</a> at the time – Inspired by 2012: The legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games – heralded: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Sport should be a central and important part of any school. Great schools have long known that sporting excellence and participation, alongside strong cultural opportunities, go hand in hand with high academic standards. To support this aim, physical education will remain a compulsory part of the curriculum at all four key stages of education, with a greater emphasis on competitive sport.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The upshot of this publication was the announcement that an initial ring-fenced investment of £150 million per year would be made to primary PE. It would be payable directly to all maintained primary schools in England. The Premium was later doubled in 2017 to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pe-and-sports-premium-doubles-to-320-million">£320 million per year</a> – made possible by a tax on sugary drinks.</p>
<figure>
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</figure>
<p>With investment accrued from three government departments – the Department for Education (DfE), the Department of Health, and the Department of Digital Culture, Media and Sport – the Premium was meant to have a major impact on young people’s education, health and sport participation. </p>
<p>But crucially it was also supposed to improve the confidence and competence of primary teachers to teach PE. This was made explicit through the Premium’s <a href="https://www.afpe.org.uk/physical-education/wp-content/uploads/5-Key-Indicators.pdf#:%7E:text=Primary%20PE%20and%20Sport%20Premium%20-%20Key%20Indicators,the%20school%20as%20a%20tool%20for%20whole-school%20improvement">five key indicators</a> as outlined by the DfE – and most obviously the third:</p>
<ol>
<li>engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity</li>
<li>the profile of PE and sport is raised across the school as a tool for whole-school improvement</li>
<li>increased confidence, knowledge and skills of all staff in teaching PE and sport</li>
<li>broader experience of a range of sports and physical activities offered to all pupils</li>
<li>increased participation in competitive sport.</li>
</ol>
<h2>More investment than maths</h2>
<p>Initial government guidance about how schools could spend this extra money was flexible. Head teachers were given autonomy to determine how to achieve the goal of improving the quality of PE and sports provision in their schools. </p>
<p>To this day, primary PE remains the highest funded subject in the school curriculum – when you take into account additional funding. As a contemporary comparison, mathematics – a core area of the curriculum, typically taught to children on a daily basis and part of a national standardised annual testing programme – has received a total extra investment of £52 million over nine years, on top of what schools get in the annual budgets. (This includes <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-maths-hubs-to-raise-standards">£11 million</a> of additional government funding since 2013, across primary and secondary schools, to support a “mathematics mastery” agenda.) This extra funding is dwarfed compared to the £2.2 billion provided to primary schools for PE over ten years through the Premium. </p>
<p>And the investment into primary PE continues to rise year on year, with few questions being asked about what impact it is having. But based on our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03004279.2020.1736598?journalCode=rett20">evidence</a>, it would seem that the funding is without infrastructure and accountability, and has created cracks in the foundation of primary PE teaching that might now be irreversible.</p>
<h2>Out-sourcing</h2>
<p>In the absence of any transparent and independent review of the Premium, university teacher-training providers in England commissioned the All-Party Parliamentary Group on a Fit and Healthy Childhood to look at the issues around it. The 2019 <a href="https://fhcappg.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/the-primary-pe-and-sport-premium-report-180219-2.pdf">report</a> highlighted a number of mounting concerns stemming from the funding – the most prominent being how the Premium was left to plug the gaps in school budgets by outsourcing PE to private specialists who were “not qualified” to teach PE. The parliamentary report concluded:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Premium has seemingly had the unfortunate and unforeseen consequence of virtually ‘ceding’ the subject in its entirety to non-qualified individuals; specifically, sports coaches/instructors with limited qualifications, a minimal knowledge of the pupil recipients and imperfect understanding of key pedagogical matters such as inclusion, progression and assessment.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Ofsted, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Schools, has written two critical reports on the effectiveness of the Premium. Its <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-review-series-pe/research-review-series-pe#contents">March 2022</a> report questioned the overall “positive effect” on teachers and pupils alike when it came to PE, while its <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/obesity-healthy-eating-and-physical-activity-in-primary-schools">2018 report</a> noted that some schools were not following guidance on how the Premium should be spent. Despite these reports, Ofsted is not responsible for auditing the Premium or tracking its spending, compounding the overall lack of accountability around it.</p>
<p>It is important to underline that we do not believe the Premium has been a total failure. Some of the key indicators have been met and many private sports coaches are doing a great job when it comes to teaching primary PE. Indeed, all of the schools we sampled in 2018 were clear that the funding had had a significant impact on how they deliver PE.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, there is a total lack of recorded figures or evidence related to Premium spending – and that is a concern. Investigations attached to our 2018 research revealed that there were significant challenges with accountability, quality assurance and sustainability. And the testimony from head teachers overwhelmingly revealed there was little or no concern for long- or even medium-term strategy in PE delivery.</p>
<h2>Removal without renewal</h2>
<p>Perhaps an even bigger problem is that this funding was supposed to be sustainable and of long-term benefit to primary education. The word “sustainability” was attached to the Premium from the start. In short, what schools invest in now should have a long-lasting impact in the future. Within the field of conservation, sustainability is often associated with renewal or regrowth; what is lost is then replaced. </p>
<p>But in the context of primary PE, outsourced providers have now <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03004270903099793">replaced swathes of teachers</a> for the best part of a decade. And this has led to the deskilling of a profession which was already lacking confidence and competence to teach PE in primary schools. </p>
<p>Guidance from the DfE states that if Premium funding is used to buy in external expertise, it should be done so to upskill teachers, not to replace them. But according to the trainee teachers we spoke with, this upskilling was only happening in 4.5% of the lessons they observed (where a qualified teacher worked alongside an external sports coach to glean valuable PE knowledge).</p>
<p>There have been warning signs for years. Our earlier <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03004279.2016.1169485?journalCode=rett20">research</a> findings revealed that the use of external sports coaches, who do not hold primary teaching qualifications, has been growing for the best part of two decades, raising questions about how such an approach could be sustainable without continued levels of investment.</p>
<iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nD85qRcl_K0?start=145" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03004279.2017.1291699">Another 2018 study</a> we conducted investigated more detailed experiences of seven schools in one local authority. Through semi-structured interviews with head teachers, the study aimed to find out how the Premium had been spent and what impact it had had. The sample of schools demonstrated there were no robust or transparent mechanisms for recording the impact of the funding. This is despite the government stipulating this as a requirement of the Premium, with guidelines published by both the Association for Physical Education and the Youth Sport Trust, linked to the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pe-and-sport-premium-for-primary-schools">DfE guidance</a>.</p>
<h2>What if the funding was pulled?</h2>
<p>So what would happen if the funding was removed? One obvious solution would be for primary schools to return to delivering PE via their existing teaching workforce and stop the expensive outsourcing programme. But two decades of government policies have quietly eroded the PE expertise that once could be found in every school. Restoring this would undoubtedly require an increase in school staffing budgets. </p>
<p>When the Department for Education (DfE) published its <a href="https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/4549/">Qualifying to Teach</a> document in 2002, it specified that trainee teachers were no longer required to hold a subject specialism beyond their basic general primary training (for example, in PE, Science, Art or History).</p>
<p>Consequently, many universities moved from offering three- and four-year undergraduate teaching courses, to one-year postgraduate courses. One likely suggestion for this was to speed up the time it took for teachers to become qualified and reduce the cost of doing so (a standard single honours degree has less than half the hours of a teacher-training degree. So over a three/four-year period the resources required to deliver a teacher-training degree are considerably more expensive). If placements can be done in school too that’s even better as it’s someone else’s staff, time and facility. </p>
<p>With less specialist subject teaching required in schools, this also meant fewer staff were needed and subjects, such as PE, began to be delivered with minimum provision and limited content. </p>
<p>The leaching of specialist expertise from primary PE had begun. We are now two decades on from the DfE’s revised professional standards detailed in Qualifying to Teach and two decades on from outsourced PE “specialists” routinely entering primary schools. In short, most primary teachers under the age of 40 have entered the profession with limited and generalist teacher-training. They don’t always have a related degree and have little opportunity to teach PE.</p>
<p>The inevitable conclusion is that if schools chose to deliver PE via their existing workforce, and if the Premium funding were removed, the quality of provision would be patchy and inconsistent at best. While some schools may well have a PE graduate, others will have no one either interested or qualified to lead the subject. </p>
<h2>Is the policy still fit for purpose?</h2>
<p>As we await an announcement from government on whether the Premium will continue in 2022-23, it is timely to reflect on what tangible impact the funding has had on the physical education of young people so far.</p>
<p>Nobody in the primary sector wants to see this funding pulled. But the sheer volume of investment, over such a long period and with very little accountability, requires that serious questions are asked about its future. </p>
<p>At the very least, greater accountability and investment into a sustainable PE infrastructure and professional development is needed to ensure that qualified teachers are not permanently absent from the PE curriculum. </p>
<p>One such response has come from a recent <a href="https://www.afpe.org.uk/physical-education/wp-content/uploads/113-Embargoed-Sport-and-Recreation-Committee-Report.pdf">Lords Committee report</a> and <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=pe+debate+as+core+subject+in+westminster&FORM=AWRE">Westminster debate</a> advocating that PE be made a core subject, alongside English, mathematics and science – a view shared by many within the profession.</p>
<p>It is true that many young people, and teachers, will have benefited from the Premium and its outsourcing legacy through increased opportunities and access to physical activity. But those benefits are not known beyond the point of delivery and are dependent on continued investment in a complex infrastructure of external personnel. </p>
<p>This is not to disparage the role that such a diverse and outsourced workforce has brought to PE and school sport over the last decade, but it does suggest that clarity is needed about what its role is, or could be. </p>
<p>External providers are exactly that: external. They should complement teachers’ expertise, not replace it. In the wake of the pandemic, the health and wellbeing of children is more important than ever. But the value of a subject cannot be based on money alone. </p>
<p>The subject is at a crossroads: it can either continue with high levels of investment to sustain a complex outsourcing workforce or it can commit to a change in policy that focuses on initial teacher-training and continued professional development that starts to build a teaching profession that is confident and knowledgeable in delivering primary PE. </p>
<p>This government has nailed its colours to the mast with its so-called levelling up agenda, which <a href="https://www.sportengland.org/news/statement-levelling-white-paper">includes action</a> on healthcare, wellbeing and standards of primary educational attainment. If it is serious about delivering these, it cannot ignore how we provide PE at primary level.</p>
<p>Whatever the right direction, if we are not to squander the legacy of London 2012, we should ensure that the physical education of young people is fully integrated into the school curriculum with funding that is both sustainable and accountable. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
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<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-china-combined-authoritarianism-with-capitalism-to-create-a-new-communism-167586?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">How China combined authoritarianism with capitalism to create a new communism</a></em></p></li>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many primary school PE lessons have been outsourced to private sports contractors, resulting in the ‘deskilling’ of a generation of teachers.Vicky Randall, Senior Fellow (Education), University of WinchesterGerald Griggs, Dean and Head of Academics, University Campus of Football Business (Etihad Campus)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1798222022-04-17T12:29:10Z2022-04-17T12:29:10ZWinning well, but not at all costs: Why Canada urgently needs a new vision for sport<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458018/original/file-20220413-27-zbk985.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4493%2C2950&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">We need a positive vision for sport in Canada — something to fight for, not just fight against. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Athletes from almost every national sport organization in Canada are <a href="https://torontosun.com/sports/safe-sport-crisis-shows-canadian-sport-system-needs-maintenance-if-not-total-overhaul">rising up in hurt and anger</a> to denounce toxic cultures of abuse, negligence and discrimination. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/athletics-canada-david-bedford-twitter-sexually-suggestive-1.6317922">Athletics</a>, <a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/artistic-swimmers-file-lawsuit-against-canadian-governing-body-for-abuse-allegations-1.5340087">artistic swimming</a>, <a href="https://bettergolfzone.com/canadian-gymnasts-allege-abuse-neglect-and-discrimination-within-the-sport/">gymnastics</a>, <a href="https://www.capitaldaily.ca/news/toxic-culture-rugby-canada">rugby</a>, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/bobsleigh-canada-skeleton-athlete-safety-racial-abuse-1.6383602">bobsled</a>, <a href="https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/another-former-player-describes-abuse-at-the-hands-of-mike-babcock">hockey</a>, <a href="https://theprovince.com/sports/soccer/mls/vancouver-whitecaps/whitecaps-rocked-by-latest-sexual-misconduct-allegation-place-members-of-executive-on-leave">soccer</a> and <a href="https://www.martlet.ca/barney-williams-uvic-investigation-2020/">rowing</a> are banding together to demand a respectful, healthy and inclusive sport system for all. Athletes from all over the country are <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/uoft-scholars-ask-sport-minister-review-own-the-podium-1.6412584">calling on sport leaders</a> to make a systemic change. </p>
<p>While I am encouraged that Canada’s sport minister, Pascale St-Onge, is <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/canada-sport-minister-vows-to-change-toxic-sport-culture-1.6404419">mandating that sporting organizations</a> follow the new <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/canada-sport-minister-vows-to-change-toxic-sport-culture-1.6404419">independent third-party auditing process</a> and explore better oversight frameworks, it’s not enough. As an athlete and sport researcher, I believe we need to move beyond talks, round tables and task forces, toward a positive vision for sport in Canada; something to fight for, not just fight against. </p>
<h2>The sport-centric model</h2>
<p>When I was rowing for Canada in the 1980s and ‘90s, sport faced a similar crisis in the form of doping. At the 1988 Olympics, women’s rowing saw the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/seoul-1988/results/rowing">Eastern Bloc countries win all but two</a> of the 18 medals on offer — a virtual clean sweep of the medals, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2005/nov/01/athletics.gdnsport3">though hardly “clean.”</a> </p>
<p>After several sixth and seventh place finishes, we knew we would need to shift our mindset in order to compete in this new performance-enhanced arena. We began by placing sport at the centre of our shared purpose: performance not podiums; <a href="https://doi.org/10.18848/2152-7857/CGP/v12i02/81-104">a gold medal time-standard, not a gold medal</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Two women in red and white sports uniforms smiling and wearing gold medals" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457536/original/file-20220411-18-xhls3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457536/original/file-20220411-18-xhls3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=731&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457536/original/file-20220411-18-xhls3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=731&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457536/original/file-20220411-18-xhls3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=731&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457536/original/file-20220411-18-xhls3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457536/original/file-20220411-18-xhls3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457536/original/file-20220411-18-xhls3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Marnie McBean (left) and Kathleen Heddle show their gold medals in the coxless pairs rowing competition at the 1992 Olympic Games in Spain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ron Poling</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The goal of rowing is not to have greater muscle mass, size or strength than your competitor, but greater speed. Once optimal speed became our shared purpose, we formed a true partnership with our coaches, administrators, sport science practitioners and competitors. We were all seen as equals — the key to a <a href="https://leadersinsport.com/performance/psychological-safety-explained/">psychologically safe environment</a> where all are free to be, contribute, learn and challenge one another.</p>
<p>With partnership came a more global perspective of sport. Speed in rowing can only be achieved by harnessing synchrony, power, rhythm, balance and diversity. Optimal speed, like any optimal achievement, is the pursuit of beauty and excellence for the greater good of humanity and the world. </p>
<p>With human and social development at our centre, we had to be caring of ourselves and one another, open to innovation, inclusive of newcomers with potential, aligned in our focus, trusting in our process and committed to our relationships, our community and our sport. </p>
<p>We went on to win <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowing_at_the_1992_Summer_Olympics">multiple gold medals at the 1992 Olympics</a> in a sport still rife with doping. We emerged as <a href="https://olympic.ca/press/marnie-mcbean-ready-to-lead-team-canada-at-tokyo-2020/">leaders</a> in our community and still <a href="https://www.vcrc.bc.ca/2019/10/21/victoria-city-rowing-club-athletes-defend-title-at-head-of-the-charles-regatta.php">remain intact as a crew</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Women competitively rowing in a boat" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456716/original/file-20220406-9612-cdkdb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5040%2C3138&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456716/original/file-20220406-9612-cdkdb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456716/original/file-20220406-9612-cdkdb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456716/original/file-20220406-9612-cdkdb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456716/original/file-20220406-9612-cdkdb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456716/original/file-20220406-9612-cdkdb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456716/original/file-20220406-9612-cdkdb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Still going strong: Canada competing in the women’s senior master eights during the 2019 Head of the Charles Regatta, the largest two-day regatta in the world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.row2k.com/hocr/photo.cfm?action=pf&dir=2019Fall/HOCR/1019R09SrMast8W&start=5&label=Event%209%20-%20Women%27s%20Senior%20Master%20Eights&hi=yes&year=2019">(Row 2K)</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.tsn.ca/memories-of-kathleen-heddle-celebrated-as-canada-s-women-s-eight-score-gold-1.1675821">Members of the 1992 team</a> inspired our <a href="https://olympic.ca/2021/12/29/best-of-2021-return-to-gold-medal-glory-for-womens-rowing/">2021 Tokyo gold in the women’s eight</a> to lean on the same core principles: common goals, communication, clarity and respect. This is a blueprint for what sport can be in Canada.</p>
<h2>Sport is the solution</h2>
<p>As an <a href="https://cflnewshub.com/cfl-news/pr-cflpa-academy-partners-with-royal-roads-university-to-offer-sport-leadership-programming/">educator</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_F04p4cdLDlXQ2Zgq07focUzst5HJI78">leadership and communication scholar</a>, I work to identify the organizational mechanisms that ensure quality sport experiences in order to leverage the full benefits of sport for society. I have always found truth in sport.</p>
<p>Our research team, composed of professors and graduate students from Royal Roads University and University of Victoria, has found that sport holds the solution to its own problems. </p>
<p>We propose a <a href="https://doi.org/10.18848/2152-7857/CGP/v12i02/81-104">partnership model for sport</a> in Canada that places “optimal sport experiences” at the centre of decision making, addresses the power imbalance at the root of abuse and <a href="http://integratedfocus.ca/?p=1220">offers a blueprint</a> for cultural and organizational change that shifts the focus from podiums to performances.</p>
<p>Our goal is to return sport to its rightful place in society as a source for <a href="http://integratedfocus.ca/?p=1100">human and societal growth and development</a>. We recommend concrete strategies for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2019.03.001">organizational and procedural change</a>, such as <a href="http://integratedfocus.ca/?p=1139">expanding measures of success</a> to include leadership impact, physical and psychological health and safety, as well as performance outcomes. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People putting their hands together in a circle" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457516/original/file-20220411-20-lohae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457516/original/file-20220411-20-lohae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457516/original/file-20220411-20-lohae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457516/original/file-20220411-20-lohae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457516/original/file-20220411-20-lohae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457516/original/file-20220411-20-lohae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457516/original/file-20220411-20-lohae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sport in Canada is missing the point: the purpose of sport is human and social development, not medals. Sport is a partnership, not a battle, and competition is collaborative, not zero sum.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Cultural integrity depends on embedding the principles of human and social health and development within all organizational texts, practices and behaviours. Achieving <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2007.03.001">power balance in sport</a> thus relies on transparent information sharing, explicit selection criteria, role clarity and expectations and published accountability frameworks.</p>
<h2>Canadian sport is missing the point</h2>
<p>Sport in Canada is missing the point: the purpose of sport is human and social development, not medals. Sport is a partnership, not a battle, and competition is collaborative, not zero sum. After all, the Latin derivative for competition is <em>competere</em> or strive together.</p>
<p>Sport has the greatest <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.11.027">participation and support</a> of any human endeavour in the world and therefore can have the <a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/1c4c0af2552242739818ee120ae07e88">greatest impact</a> on human development. Good sport <a href="http://integratedfocus.ca/?p=1139">benefits athletes, sporting organizations and society at large</a>. </p>
<p>A sport-centric model in Canada would make an optimal sport experience our shared purpose, balancing power across our system. From little leagues to beer leagues to professional leagues, when human and social development is the focus of sport, health, joy, community and success are the natural outcomes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179822/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr. Jennifer Walinga is a board member with Rowing Canada Aviron and receives research funding from Royal Roads University, SSHRC, and SDRCC</span></em></p>Athletes from multiple NSO’s in Canada are rising up in hurt and anger to denounce toxic cultures and linking arms to demand a respectful, healthy and inclusive sport system for all.Jennifer Walinga, Professor, Communication and Culture, Royal Roads UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1796292022-04-13T12:13:29Z2022-04-13T12:13:29ZHow math – and eating while running – can help you complete your best marathon<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457489/original/file-20220411-17-v4whu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Long-distance running requires planning, from pacing to stoking the body's engines.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nick Morgan</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Whether standing at the starting line for a high school cross-country competition or, years later, at the cold rainy 2018 Boston Marathon, I have always been nervous before races. </p>
<p>In November 2021, I was again at the starting line, this time at the Monumental Marathon in Indianapolis. And while I’ve always prepared for a race, this time I did it differently.</p>
<p>I’d spent the previous three years doing scientific research as part of my doctoral program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, showing, mathematically, how to use nutrition and training to run an optimal race.</p>
<p>While there is significant research on pacing, training and eating, there has been little research done at the intersection of math and running. The research that has been done focuses mainly on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1137/090749384">shorter races, like the 800-meter</a>, instead of longer distances, and none of it focuses on the practice of eating while running. I wanted to find out how a marathon runner could maximize energy output to run the fastest possible race. </p>
<p>My colleagues <a href="https://math.utk.edu/people/Suzanne-Lenhart/">Suzanne Lenhart</a>, <a href="https://nutrition.utk.edu/guoxun-chen-phd-lab/">Guoxun Chen</a> and <a href="https://people.clas.ufl.edu/hager/">William Hager</a> and I combined mathematics with research from the worlds of nutrition and sports science to identify how a runner’s speed should change throughout a race – and how much and when to eat during the run. </p>
<h2>Marathon performance</h2>
<p>The marathon emerged from <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-uncertain-origins-of-the-modern-marathon-79493">an ancient Greek legend</a> of Pheidippides, a messenger who ran 40 kilometers from Marathon to Athens in 490 B.C. to bring news about a Persian invasion – or possibly, to announce the Athenians’ victory. </p>
<p>More than 2,000 years later, in 1896, the <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-modern-olympic-games">first modern Olympics</a> included a marathon. The next year, the <a href="https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/history">first Boston Marathon</a> was held. The race, likely the most famous of more than 1,100 marathons organized in the U.S. each year, will mark its 126th anniversary on April 18.</p>
<p>Completing a 26.2-mile marathon requires both training and strategy. Pacing is key: A runner who takes off at a sprint can’t expect to maintain that speed. In the 1920s, runners first realized the need to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuy001">stoke energy</a> during long-distance runs and began sucking on hard candies during races. Today, a lucrative industry sells energy gels, gummies, sports drinks and other in-race nutritional products. </p>
<p>That’s because running is an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pmbts.2015.07.020">energy game</a>, fueled by stored fat and glycogen. During high exertion, the body <a href="https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.91394.2008">burns mainly glycogen</a>, a complex carbohydrate structure used to store energy in the muscles and liver. </p>
<p>That’s where nutrition planning comes in. The body has plenty of stored fat, but a limited supply of <a href="https://runningmagazine.ca/sections/training/how-to-avoid-hitting-the-wall/">glycogen</a>, enough to run maybe 15 miles. Eating carbohydrate-loaded meals leading up to a race builds <a href="https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/76/4/243/4851715">glycogen stores</a>. </p>
<p>But high-speed or long-distance running can exhaust available glycogen, triggering a miserable and well-known experience known as “bonking” or “hitting the wall.” When the body runs out of sugar to burn, muscles cramp up and, in extreme cases, a runner may experience dizziness or confusion, or may even collapse. The antidote: consuming simple sugar during a race.</p>
<h2>Modeling racing biology</h2>
<p>To show scientifically how to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3128231">run the fastest possible race</a>, my colleagues and I built a computer model. It relies on various <a href="https://gccoaching.fit/2019/02/18/breaking-down-ftp-vla-max-vs-vo2-max/">personal parameters</a> such as a runner’s weight and ability to absorb oxygen, which is calculated by most sports watches.</p>
<p>Other factors include the rate at which a runner burns calories and how quickly the body clears lactate, a compound that makes the muscles feel heavy when it accumulates. We incorporated equations for speed; changes in available energy from fat and glycogen; and the energy boost from food consumed during the race. </p>
<p>Then we programmed in our goal: determining how a simulated marathoner can run the most efficient 26.2-mile race. </p>
<p>We evaluated various combinations of speed and available energy alongside fuel intake, ranging from 100 to 1,100 calories. Overall, our model shows that maintaining a fairly constant speed from start to finish helps a runner achieve top performance. </p>
<p>The results differ significantly from person to person. The model reveals an individual’s best speed and calculates the amount of calories they should take in, based on personal needs, and when to consume them. The model also generates graphs to visually depict results. All can be improved with dedicated training, making a runner more energy efficient.</p>
<h2>Optimizing performance</h2>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MoxFkJlVZlA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Legendary marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya made world history with his 2019 run in Austria.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Since this model is based on biological phenomena, not data, we needed to validate the approach. So we compared a simulation of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/sports/eliud-kipchoge-marathon-record.html">Eliud Kipchoge’s 2019 world record-breaking marathon</a> against his actual performance. Kipchoge, the first to ever complete a marathon in under two hours – <a href="https://www.ineos159challenge.com/">1:59:40</a> – gave an amazing physical performance that was optimized by a team of experts. </p>
<p>To compare our simulation with his actual race, we put in his personal parameters alongside the 800 calories he consumed. Our model proved extremely accurate: The simulation differed from Kipchoge’s performance by just one second per mile.</p>
<p>I then used myself to test our model on a runner with a different skill level. I stood on the starting line of the Indianapolis Marathon, prepared to use the model’s pacing strategy and in-race nutrition plan to consume five 100-calorie gels. I finished in 2:37:14, a major personal best for me, more than 15 minutes faster than I’d ever run. The simulation again proved strong: It differed from my true race time by less than 1%.</p>
<p>The ultimate goal of this work is to create a user-friendly application that allows runners to plan in-race nutrition and calculate their best speed, both of which are crucial to running the optimal marathon. </p>
<p>[<em>Get fascinating science, health and technology news.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=science&source=inline-science-fascinating">Sign up for The Conversation’s weekly science newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179629/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cameron Cook does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>What is the best strategy for running your best race? A new computer model might soon join your training team.Cameron Cook, PhD graduate, researcher, University of TennesseeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1804862022-04-03T12:14:33Z2022-04-03T12:14:33ZAs a former elite gymnast, I know sport needs a cultural shift to ensure athlete safety<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455856/original/file-20220401-25-bwli2t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C15%2C5225%2C3465&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Team Canada at the Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany in 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/as-a-former-elite-gymnast--i-know-sport-needs-a-cultural-shift-to-ensure-athlete-safety" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>There has been a recent outpouring of <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/olympian-jennifer-heil-says-changes-still-needed-canada-safe-sport-program-1.6101870">calls to make sport safer</a>. Athletes are <a href="https://www.thestar.com/sports/amateur/2022/03/22/ottawa-orders-financial-audit-into-bobsleigh-canada-skeleton-after-open-letter-detailing-toxic-culture.html">writing testimonials and letters</a> across many sports over allegations of abuse, maltreatment and harm. </p>
<p>The most recent development comes from the gymnastics world where <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/gymnastics/canadian-gymnasts-calling-for-investigation-into-abusive-practices-toxic-culture-under-gymcan-1.6399721">70 former gymnasts</a> penned a letter to Sport Canada calling for an end to the toxic culture in that sport. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/protecting-young-athletes-from-abusive-coaches-lets-get-it-right-111950">Protecting young athletes from abusive coaches – let's get it right</a>
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</p>
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<p>While gymnastics <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/gymnastics/larry-nassar-sex-abuse-victims-settlement-usa-gymnastics-1.6283763">has been in the news</a> for years, these recent developments seemed to <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/more/article/sport-minister-holds-emergency-roundtable-to-address-safe-sport-crisis-in-canada/">strike a chord across Canadian sport</a>. The calls for making sport a safer, more inclusive and welcoming space are not new, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/sports/amateur/2022/03/25/canadas-sport-system-may-have-to-change-for-athletes-to-feel-safe.html">but they seem to be getting louder</a> with too little action being taken by the sport system. </p>
<p>As a sports scholar, I find myself in an interesting position. My early foray into research drew upon my love of gymnastics. My personal experience as an athlete was exceptional — I grew up competing at an elite level, leading to university involvement. I had strong, caring coaches who always put my health and safety first. But when I was competing, I wasn’t naïve to the cultural problems that existed within the sport and would often see fellow competitors over-trained and living in fear. </p>
<h2>Athletes need protection</h2>
<p>After stepping away from competition, I got involved as a coach and a judge. Around the same time, I was completing my master’s degree. It was logical for me to focus my research on something I was passionate about, and my advisor was a critical sport scholar so I examined <a href="https://www.academia.edu/467620/Critical_Policy_Analysis_for_Marginalised_Stakeholder_Groups_A_Case_Study_of_Youth_in_Canadian_Federal_Sport_Policy">youth protection policy</a> in sport, using a case of Gymnastics Canada. </p>
<p>I discovered the sport system was doing little to ensure young athletes received the necessary rights and protections from harm. At that time, I argued that sport needed to protect young elite athletes using mechanisms that had been adopted elsewhere, such as those for <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/child-performers">young actors</a>. </p>
<p>My research challenged my thinking about a sport that was my passion. I presented my research to Sport Canada and Gymnastics Canada, but nothing ever came of it. My work was dismissed. </p>
<p>The process was emotionally taxing, so I turned to other academic pursuits and continued my involvement in coaching, becoming a national level gymnastics judge. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="a woman stands in a judge's uniform" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455857/original/file-20220401-53031-qrl16.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455857/original/file-20220401-53031-qrl16.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455857/original/file-20220401-53031-qrl16.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455857/original/file-20220401-53031-qrl16.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455857/original/file-20220401-53031-qrl16.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1339&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455857/original/file-20220401-53031-qrl16.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1339&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455857/original/file-20220401-53031-qrl16.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1339&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Laura Misener judging at Canadian Gymnastics Championships.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Laura Misener)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>During my 14 years as a gymnastics judge, I witnessed many disturbing things about the sport. I was often torn between my impartial role as a judge, and my feeling of moral responsibility to support the well-being of young athletes in the sport. </p>
<p>I felt <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/mar/28/canadian-gymnasts-call-for-investigation-into-sports-toxic-culture">complicit in the toxic sport culture</a> and started to try and push for change — I even sent letters to governing bodies outlining concerns about the behaviours of coaches toward young athletes. Despite the emergence of <a href="http://www.gymcan.org/programs/safe-sport/overview">safe sport guidelines</a>, the toxic culture remained. </p>
<p>I felt powerless and eventually left sport because I couldn’t bear witness to an institution that celebrates pushing youth to their limits and coaching behaviours that reinforce dominance, often in the form of adult men wielding power over <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/019372397021002003">young girls</a>. </p>
<p>As the <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/01/188295/gymnastics-abuse-toxic-culture-sports-psychology">mounting unrest in the sport community grows</a>, I look back and feel guilty that I didn’t speak out more, that I didn’t work harder to have my voice heard, that I didn’t do more. </p>
<p>But what I now realize is that the institutional structures in sport, particularly in gymnastics, where young girls are the stars, silence dissenting voices. Obedience, tolerance and compliance are what is expected in this culture — which is why it has taken so long for these issues to come to light. </p>
<h2>An athlete-centred approach</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Feet are seen pointed in the air with judges sitting in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455866/original/file-20220401-19520-52r1e7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455866/original/file-20220401-19520-52r1e7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455866/original/file-20220401-19520-52r1e7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455866/original/file-20220401-19520-52r1e7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455866/original/file-20220401-19520-52r1e7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455866/original/file-20220401-19520-52r1e7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455866/original/file-20220401-19520-52r1e7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Canadian competes in the the women’s trampoline gymnastics qualifier at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>All sport organizations are now required to have <a href="https://athletics.ca/safesport/">safe sport policies</a>, but as scholars have noted there remains a gap between the ideological realm of safe sport and <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-must-challenge-the-culture-of-silence-about-child-sexual-abuse-in-football-69377">a culture of silencing</a>. The policies often do little to support athletes suffering from sport’s toxic culture — or change that culture. </p>
<p>As a sports scholar, I am now in a position of power and have the privilege and opportunity to support change. Moving towards a more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2008.10483583">athlete-centred approach</a> to sport is one step in the right direction. But our funding models are fundamentally about medals and overall success, not on how well a sport performs in getting people moving or how culturally safe the sport actually is. </p>
<p>Safe sport policies and accountability are a start, but they are far from a much-needed cultural shift.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180486/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laura Misener does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Moving towards an athlete-centred approach to sport is one step in the right directionLaura Misener, Professor & Director, School of Kinesiology, Western UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1770462022-03-28T15:47:54Z2022-03-28T15:47:54ZDemocracy is a team sport: What the Olympics can teach us about politics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453981/original/file-20220323-27-1one0k4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C7%2C5023%2C3089&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">While it's true that the "freedom convoy" revealed deep political polarization, it's also true that it has provided us with the opportunity to create a more inclusive and participatory democracy.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Tensions and divisions in Canada are still running high more than a month after the so-called <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-trucker-convoy-freedom-rally-vaccine-mandate/">freedom convoy</a> and, to borrow a sports metaphor, it’s time we call for a collective “time out.”</p>
<p>As public health professionals, we were shocked, angered and scared by the misinformation and <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2022/02/12/convoy-shows-how-far-right-has-co-opted-concept-of-freedom.html">co-opting of human rights rhetoric underpinning the protests</a>. We were also angered and disappointed by responses from politicians who — on all sides of the aisle — <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/john-ivison-on-the-wisdom-of-clowns">met the protests with equally unproductive dogmatism and minimization</a>.</p>
<p>While it’s true the protests <a href="https://www.hilltimes.com/2022/02/07/truckers-protest-reflects-rise-in-disruption-politics-increasing-polarization-say-political-insiders/342272">revealed deep political polarization</a>, it’s also true that conversations provoked by the protests have provided us with the opportunity to create a more inclusive and participatory democracy.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-should-be-allowed-to-visit-say-goodbye-to-those-who-are-dying-during-covid-19-174955">People should be allowed to visit, say goodbye to those who are dying during COVID-19</a>
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<p>After all, many people have valid reasons to be <a href="https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2022/02/16/bc-long-term-care-visits-restrictions-covid/">frustrated with COVID-19 restrictions</a>. Instead of letting <a href="https://btlonline.org/right-wing-extremists-co-opt-canadas-freedom-convoy/">legitimate grievances be co-opted by the far-right</a>, we can use better and smarter engagement strategies to move through this impasse, together.</p>
<p>As Canada continues to navigate this pandemic (<a href="https://globalnews.ca/tag/ukraine-crisis/">and other major global issues</a>), our diversity of experiences could be a source of strength and insight, instead of a source of division. Recognizing that Canada still has much to reconcile, it’s time for a new game plan — maybe using the Olympics as an inspiration to build a new kind of Team Canada.</p>
<h2>Remember, there is no ‘I’ in team</h2>
<p>At the Olympics, athletes from all across the country convene under a common Canadian flag. We can take some valuable lessons from Olympic athletes, like thinking as a team, rather than an individual.</p>
<p>Thinking as a team requires mutual respect and trust that honours interpersonal relationships and opens possibilities to imagine better solutions to complex societal problems (like how to weather a pandemic) that work for everyone. </p>
<p>In order to play as a team, we need to stick to our positions, play to our strengths and extend trust to others to do the same. You would never pull star hockey forward <a href="https://twitter.com/pou29?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Marie-Philip Poulin</a> mid-game and stick her in goal or expect snowboarder <a href="https://twitter.com/markmcmorris?lang=en">Mark McMorris</a> to start competing in the luge after watching a YouTube video. </p>
<p>We can extend this logic to other places as well, including in relation to our pandemic experts.</p>
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<img alt="A hockey player scoring a goal on a hockey goalie" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453980/original/file-20220323-17-23psaz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453980/original/file-20220323-17-23psaz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453980/original/file-20220323-17-23psaz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453980/original/file-20220323-17-23psaz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453980/original/file-20220323-17-23psaz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453980/original/file-20220323-17-23psaz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453980/original/file-20220323-17-23psaz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">In order to play as a team, we need to stick to our positions and play to our strengths, like Team Canada hockey forward Marie-Philip Poulin, pictured here at at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span>
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<p>Although <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/covid-misinformation-trust-public-health-1.6001767">misinformation has eroded some trust in health experts</a>, doctors and scientists still <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/canadians-maintain-strong-trust-in-doctors-and-scientists-during-pandemic-1.5096594">remain trusted authority figures among Canadians</a>. Canada needs to continue to restore faith in expertise, and health experts need to do their work <a href="https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2021/01/20/health-officials-covid-vaccine-concerns-bipoc-communities/">in ways that invite and value diverse voices, perspectives and experiences</a>.</p>
<h2>Be a good sport</h2>
<p>A better playbook calls on us to engage in authentic dialogue, where all parties are open and willing to listen and to understand. </p>
<p>This means being aware of our biases and working hard to counter them. <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-confirmation-bias-2795024">Confirmation bias</a>, for example, is when we favour information that confirms our already-held beliefs and subsequently dismiss any information that goes against it. This leaves no room for learning and growing through healthy debate. Good sportsmanship reminds us that we should not be striving to win at all costs or as a result of unfair advantages. </p>
<p>This means calling out double standards, like who is criticized as being part of profiteering conspiracies (such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245900">Big Pharma</a>) and who evades scrutiny (such as <a href="https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/press-room/press-releases/wellness-now-a-4-2-trillion-global-industry/">the trillion-dollar health and wellness industry</a>).</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/black-and-indigenous-protesters-are-treated-differently-than-the-convoy-because-of-canadas-ongoing-racism-176653">Black and Indigenous protesters are treated differently than the 'convoy’ because of Canada's ongoing racism</a>
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<p>This also means calling out double standards that exhaust our capacity to engage critically with the world around us. The most glaring recent example is the <a href="https://thestarphoenix.com/opinion/columnists/cuthand-authorities-response-to-convoy-protests-shows-white-privilege-in-action">stark difference in how the “freedom convoy” protesters were treated</a> compared with <a href="https://theconversation.com/intense-police-surveillance-for-indigenous-land-defenders-contrasts-with-a-laissez-faire-stance-for-anti-vax-protesters-169589">Indigenous land-defenders on their own territories</a>.</p>
<h2>Build your nuance muscles</h2>
<p>Sometimes the game plan changes; a player gets hurt or the other team switches up their strategy. In a game, we need to be flexible and adapt to these changes in order to win. The same is true for our response to the pandemic. </p>
<p>Adapting guidelines to respond to emergent data is a feature — not a flaw — of good science. While <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/covid-confusion-test-vaccine-mask/2022/01/10/1b2a9788-6e48-11ec-b9fc-b394d592a7a6_story.html">critiques of inconsistent and confusing public health mandates are valid</a>, critiques of the dynamic nature of our responses and guidelines as proof of conspiracies are less so. </p>
<p>The public, for its part, needs to <a href="https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/uncertainty-is-uncomfortable-heres-how-we-can-learn-to-live-with-it">grow more comfortable with the unknown</a> — especially in a rapidly evolving pandemic — without <a href="https://ppforum.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ScienceDisinformation-PPF-June2020-EN.pdf">jumping to conspiracies</a> or <a href="https://torontosun.com/news/national/convoy-plans-to-replace-canadas-elected-government-the-stuff-of-fantasy">all-or-nothing thinking</a>. </p>
<p>Above all, we all need to remember <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/we-re-all-in-this-together-the-phrase-uniting-toronto-in-long-lonely-battle-against-covid-19-1.5508850">we are all in this together</a> and we’re all playing for the same team. Our neighbours and friends make up our health systems and governments and they are navigating the pandemic and its restrictions alongside us. </p>
<h2>Team Canada, we are stronger together</h2>
<p>For better of worse, this pandemic has reminded us that we are all bound to each other. It has shown us the ways in which we are able to mobilize and accomplish things we never imagined were possible — <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/jib-2021-0002">like developing a global COVID-19 vaccine in record time</a> and <a href="https://www.cdhowe.org/sites/default/files/attachments/research_papers/mixed/Commentary_586.pdf">revolutionizing the virtual care industry</a> — proving ourselves tremendously capable of adaptation. </p>
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<img alt="A crowd of spectators holding Canadian flags" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453977/original/file-20220323-25-1ikk52u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453977/original/file-20220323-25-1ikk52u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453977/original/file-20220323-25-1ikk52u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453977/original/file-20220323-25-1ikk52u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453977/original/file-20220323-25-1ikk52u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453977/original/file-20220323-25-1ikk52u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453977/original/file-20220323-25-1ikk52u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">We can take some valuable lessons from Olympic athletes, like thinking as a team, rather than an individual.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span>
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<p>We therefore call on all of us, Team Canada, to strive for better. Let’s create new ways to participate in our democracy, by engaging and listening to each other. Let’s learn about leadership from Indigenous nations that are reclaiming and re-imagining relationships with health-care systems like the <a href="https://manywaysofworkingonthesamething.com">Ktunaxa Nation’s xaȼqanaǂ ʔitkiniǂ project</a>.</p>
<p>Instead of staring in <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60300163">shock at a stalemate of divisiveness</a> that leaves most of us behind or minimizing the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-freedom-convoy-protesters-are-a-textbook-case-of-aggrieved-entitlement-176791">foul forces driving confusion and divisiveness</a>, let’s direct our energy at <a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/sabrina-maddeaux-canadas-constantly-collapsing-health-care-system-is-no-match-for-the-pandemic">fortifying our system so it doesn’t collapse</a> during the next pandemic, ensuring <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2020.05.006">poverty doesn’t exacerbate health inequities</a>, improving <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj-2022-070650/rapid-responses">global access to COVID-19 vaccines</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/broken-system-why-is-a-quarter-of-canadas-prison-population-indigenous-91562">helping those currently neglected</a> by our systems. </p>
<p>If ever there was a moment to invest in our society and in each other, with productive, equity-focused and imaginative conversations, this is it. All levels of government can leverage their platforms to invite inclusive engagement and to listen for direction. Rather than tolerating divisiveness and intolerance, we can and we should embrace this important moment to create a more participatory form of democracy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/177046/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sana Shahram receives funding from CIHR, MSHR Kelowna General Hospital Foundation and SSHRC. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katrina Plamondon receives funding from CIHR, SSHRC, UBC, MSHR, and Kelowna General Hospital Foundation.</span></em></p>Rather than tolerating divisiveness and intolerance, we can and we should embrace this important moment to create a more participatory form of democracy.Sana Shahram, Assistant Professor of Population and Public Health, University of British ColumbiaKatrina Plamondon, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health & Social Development, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1774282022-03-13T12:28:43Z2022-03-13T12:28:43ZElite athletes shouldn’t have to choose between their sport and pregnancy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451109/original/file-20220309-19-19rcjkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C5%2C3620%2C2411&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">New mom Natalie Geisenberger, of Germany, celebrates winning the gold medal in luge women's singles at the 2022 Winter Olympics.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Every two years the world watches in awe as <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/inspirational-athletes-and-milestone-moments-that-will-tell-the-story-of-beijing-2022-at-the-olympic-museum">incredible athletes compete during the Olympic and Paralympic games</a>. Olympians inspire the nation, and serve as role models to all young athletes. But after inspiring so many, and as the Olympics close, athletes are faced with a new question. What’s next?</p>
<p>Elite sport requires a level of commitment that often means sacrificing other aspects of life. In many sports, the window of peak performance and the window of fertility for female athletes overlap in their twenties and thirties. Female athletes who desire to have a family are often faced with a difficult choice. </p>
<p>They can continue to train and build their athletic career, retire from their sport to become mothers, or they can attempt to do both with few supports and many roadblocks.</p>
<h2>Growing number of Olympian mothers</h2>
<p>The 2022 Beijing Games celebrated a <a href="https://littlethings.com/family-and-parenting/moms-beijing-olympics/1-anais-chevalier-bouchet">growing number of Olympian mothers</a>. Bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor (United States), biathlete Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet (France) and luger Natalie Geisenberger (Germany) all medalled in their respective sports. </p>
<p>These “super moms” seemingly can do it all. But behind these successes are the struggles, challenges and heartbreaking decisions that elite athlete mothers are forced to make. </p>
<p>In the lead up to the 2020 Tokyo Games, Canadian Basketball player Kim Gaucher was initially faced with the decision to leave her three-month-old <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/basketball/olympics-canada-basketball-kim-gaucher-breastfeeding-1.6078717">breastfed baby at home or miss the Olympics</a>. Eleven-time Canadian champion boxer Mandy Bujold was deemed ineligible to compete at the Tokyo Olympics <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/boxing/mandy-bujold-tokyo-olympics-1.6085623">because of missing qualifiers due to her pregnancy</a>. </p>
<p>Although rules were eventually changed to allow both to compete, these examples highlight the urgent need to update sport policy to reflect the fact that pregnancy and parenthood no longer mean the end of an athletic career.</p>
<p>In 2019 American sprinter Allyson Felix wrote about her fight to get maternity benefits from her sponsor, Nike, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/opinion/allyson-felix-pregnancy-nike.html">in the <em>New York Times</em></a>. She was one of the most decorated, high-profile athletes in the world, and she struggled to find support during her pregnancy. And she is not alone. </p>
<h2>Experiences of elite female athletes</h2>
<p>Our team recently conducted a study to detail the experiences of elite female athletes as they navigate pregnancy, and to <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2021-104755">identify sport policy considerations regarding pregnancy</a>. </p>
<p>We recruited 20 athletes (including 10 Olympians) who had trained or competed at the elite level immediately prior to becoming pregnant. Stories shared by participants highlighted the many significant decisions athletes must make. </p>
<p>They described the complexities related to planning for pregnancy when training. They told us heartbreaking stories about how they were scared to disclose that they were pregnant over fear they would lose their position on the team, lose funding or even be viewed as less committed to their sport. This needs to change.</p>
<p>One athlete we spoke with said, “During an Olympic cycle, you want to get pregnant in the first year of the cycle before your quadrennial … like you have a very narrow window to try and succeed or wait another four years.”</p>
<p>Another athlete added, “I feel like I can’t have open communication [with coaches] because I’m so afraid of what will be taken from me.”</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">This Olympics video looks back at athletes throughout Olympic history who have won medals while pregnant.</span></figcaption>
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<p>“Best practice” policies for pregnant and postpartum athletes have been produced by professional sport organizations including the <a href="https://wnbpa.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/WNBA-WNBPA-CBA-2020-2027.pdf">Women’s National Basketball Association</a>, and the <a href="https://lpga.ocs-lpga.com/pmws-images/lpga/extranet/P3_File_5.pdf#page45">Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA)</a>. </p>
<p>The LPGA developed a policy that was “pro-athlete and pro-mom” to reflect the changing demographic of high-profile LPGA players becoming elite athlete mothers. Few sport organizations in Canada have policies that are specific to pregnancy; <a href="https://nationalpost.com/sports/olympics/the-baby-gap-for-many-canadian-olympians-getting-pregnant-is-considered-an-injury">typically</a>, <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/funding/athlete-assistance/policies-procedures.html#a10">pregnancy is classified as an “injury.”</a> This lack of policy, or classification of pregnancy as injury, is clearly problematic and has negative consequences for female athletes. </p>
<h2>Developing policies and funding</h2>
<p>Our research with trailblazing pregnant elite-level athletes provides clear recommendations that would create sport environments that support and value pregnancy in elite athletes. And these reccomendations can be implemented immediately. </p>
<p>For example, the development of maternity leave policies and funding structures for parental leave should be a priority for sporting organizations. Providing education to athletes, coaches and organizations about reproductive health should also occur in an effort to normalize pregnancy in sport, and work towards a more inclusive environment for female athletes. </p>
<p>In Budget 2018, Canada set a target to “<a href="https://www.budget.gc.ca/2018/docs/plan/chap-04-en.html">achieve gender equity in sport at every level by 2035</a>.” Without policies in place to support pregnant and postpartum athletes, women are being excluded at some of the highest levels of sport participation in Canada. </p>
<p>Policies to support pregnant athletes will have a direct impact on all women and girls across all levels of sport. Role models are <a href="https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Keeping-Girls-in-the-Game-Executive-Summary-FINAL-web.pdf">essential to girls’ continued participation in sport</a>. Young girls need to know that they belong in sport, and that there is a space for them in sport even when they enter their reproductive years. </p>
<p>Sport policy and practices to support pregnant athletes directly impacts athletes across all levels of sport. As the 2022 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics close, we have an opportunity to change the future for athletes, so they can continue to inspire Canadians for years to come.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/177428/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Margie Davenport receives funding from the Christenson Professorship in Active Healthy Living, NSERC, SSHRC, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Women and Children's Health Research Institute, and Canada Foundation for Innovation. She received a stipend from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology to develop the Pre & Postnatal Exercise Specialization.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tara-Leigh McHugh receives research grant funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).</span></em></p>Sport policy and practices to support pregnant athletes impacts athletes across all levels of sport. We have an opportunity to change the future for athletes.Margie Davenport, Associate Professor, Christenson Professor in Active Healthy Living, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of AlbertaTara-Leigh McHugh, Professor, Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of AlbertaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1781312022-03-03T13:27:53Z2022-03-03T13:27:53ZFIFA’s suspension of Russia is a rarity – but one that strips bare the idea that sport can be apolitical<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449625/original/file-20220302-23-1ediffy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2951%2C2142&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Facing penalties.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/UkraineInvasionSports/8fa46eb5055c4109baa89571f3f6f76c/photo?Query=soccer%20ukraine&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=18066&currentItemNo=45">AP Photo/Petr David Josek</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The decision by FIFA on Feb. 28, 2022, to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/feb/28/fifa-and-uefa-suspend-russian-clubs-and-teams-from-world-cup-and-all-competitions#:%7E:text=Fifa%20and%20Uefa%20have%20acted,after%20days%20of%20growing%20protest.">suspend Russia from international competition</a> – a move that could see the national team <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/fifa-set-suspend-russia-football-2022-world-cup-report-1683272">excluded from the 2022 FIFA World Cup</a> – breaks with a tradition of inaction by soccer’s world governing body over the ethical failings of member states. </p>
<p>Other than the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/dec/30/zimbabwe.politics">exclusion of South Africa and Rhodesia</a> during the apartheid era, examples of preventing national teams from competing are hard to come by. Nazi Germany <a href="https://www.history.com/news/world-cup-nazi-germany-forced-austrian-players-lost">took part in the 1938 World Cup</a>, as did France in the World Cups of the 1950s despite that country’s bloody wars against <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/13/france-algerian-war-legacy-politics-colonialism/">independence movements in Algeria</a> <a href="https://alphahistory.com/vietnamwar/first-indochina-war/">and Indochina</a>. </p>
<p>No sporting sanctions were placed on the Argentinian junta, which detained and executed its own population inside football stadiums that <a href="https://www.history.com/news/world-cup-soccer-argentina-1978-dirty-war">went on to host</a> the 1978 World Cup finals, and Nigeria was allowed to compete in the 1970 World Cup qualifiers despite its government <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51094093">waging a war against Biafrans</a>, which resulted in <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/the-long-shadow-of-biafra-lingers-over-nigeria/a-51988720">up to 2 million deaths</a> by starvation. </p>
<p>The list goes on. But the point is FIFA does not usually punish national teams for the actions of the country’s government. Even in the instances where authoritarian countries have been banned by FIFA, it hasn’t been because of the actions of the state. Myanmar was excluded from the 2006 World Cup not because of the country’s brutal military dictatorship, but for <a href="https://www2.irrawaddy.com/article.php?art_id=18780">failing to play a World Cup qualifying game against Iran</a> four years earlier. Syria was <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2011/8/19/syria-disqualified-from-2014-world-cup#:%7E:text=Fans%20of%20Syria%20will%20be,Cup%20for%20fielding%20ineligible%20player.&text=Syria%20have%20been%20disqualified%20from,qualifiers%2C%20FIFA%20said%20on%20Friday.">not allowed to qualify for the World Cup in 2014</a> for fielding an unqualified player rather than because of the atrocities committed by the government of Bashir Al-Assad.</p>
<h2>Exceptional circumstances</h2>
<p>FIFA’s rationale stems from a desire that sports should not be political. It is a fig leaf that generations of FIFA administrators have hidden behind.</p>
<p>But as a <a href="https://www.kines.umich.edu/directory/stefan-szymanski">scholar who has written extensively about sport and politics</a>, I believe it is absurd to claim that world soccer can be apolitical. International sport is organized around the concept of a nation state. Governments have been <a href="https://www.history.com/news/world-cup-soccer-argentina-1978-dirty-war">quick to celebrate any triumph</a> of their nation’s sporting teams as evidence of their own greatness – or even <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/apr/19/iraq.football">punish a team for a poor performance</a>. </p>
<p>So what is different in the case of Russia?</p>
<p>There are several reasons why the Ukraine invasion has served to break FIFA’s policy of viewing national teams apolitically. The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/01/ukraine-russia-civilians-missiles-kyiv-tv-tower">brutality of the Russian aggression</a> is one, the self-evident innocence of Ukraine is another.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A soccer fan golds up a Ukrainian flag with a banner reading 'Now stadium ban for Schröder'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449626/original/file-20220302-27-rvvpt5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449626/original/file-20220302-27-rvvpt5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449626/original/file-20220302-27-rvvpt5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449626/original/file-20220302-27-rvvpt5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=327&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449626/original/file-20220302-27-rvvpt5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449626/original/file-20220302-27-rvvpt5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449626/original/file-20220302-27-rvvpt5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The blue and yellow of Ukraine was featured as much as team colors during top-flight soccer games in Europe.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/march-2022-lower-saxony-hanover-soccer-dfb-cup-news-photo/1238876470?adppopup=true">Daniel Reinhardt/picture alliance via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It has led to an <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10557567/Touching-scenes-Wembley-Liverpool-fans-solidarity-Ukraine-Carabao-Cup-final.html">outpouring of sympathy shared among fans</a> <a href="https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/12552203/manchester-utd-and-watford-unite-in-call-for-peace">and players</a> across Europe. Aiding this is the fact that <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/03/01/ukrainian-players-call-on-football-to-resist-russian-invasion/">Ukrainian’s elite soccer players are scattered</a> across some of the most high-profile teams in Europe.</p>
<p>It should also be acknowledged that this sympathy in Europe appears to be related to what at best you can call cultural proximity. Palestinians, Yemenis, Afghans, Iraqis and Syrians must wonder what they have to do to make their sufferings as immediate as those of the Ukrainians. Indeed, persistent calls on FIFA to suspend Israel over its treatment of Palestinians have <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/fr/news/palestine-football-association-drop-fifa-ban-israel-413953349">fallen on deaf ears</a>. Similarly, <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20200813-ozil-blasts-arsenal-failure-to-back-his-uighur-muslim-comments">soccer protests over China’s treatment of its Uyghur population</a> are unlikely to result in censure of the Chinese national team.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, sporting bodies, including FIFA, have become <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-fifa-protests/politics-and-protest-in-sport-have-fifas-rules-changed-idUSKBN2BI2FN">a little more welcoming of protest</a> by players of late. The willingness of at least some sporting authorities to condone players’ public protest of racial discrimination – taking a knee before the start of a game has become a common sight in Europe’s top soccer leagues – has paved the way for further acknowledgment of sport’s political dimension. </p>
<h2>The ‘Olympic Truce’</h2>
<p>Very few outside Russia will be doing anything other than applauding FIFA’s decision. However, I believe it’s time for FIFA and other sports leagues to develop long-term policies, rather than an ad hoc reaction under public pressure. </p>
<p>Sporting bodies can begin by considering the legal basis for the current decision, which looks <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/russia-might-challenge-the-world-cup-ban-in-court-to-defend-it-fifa-might-have-to-get-political-223816752.html">set to be challenged</a> by the Russian Football Union.</p>
<p>FIFA’s decision took its cue from the International Olympic Committee, which called on other sporting bodies to act after Russia was deemed to have <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-strongly-condemns-the-breach-of-the-olympic-truce">breached the “Olympic Truce</a>.”</p>
<p>This marks a recent revival of an <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/olympic-truce#:%7E:text=The%20tradition%20of%20the%20%E2%80%9COlympic,for%20all%20athletes%20and%20spectators">ancient Greek concept</a> in which city-states were required to halt any hostilities to allow athletes safe passage to compete during the games. City-states that did not honor the truce faced sanctions.</p>
<p>Since the 1990s, there have been several attempts to revive this tradition, and the U.K. succeeded in persuading all United Nations members to <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/un-general-assembly-approves-olympic-truce-for-london-games">sign an Olympic truce for the 2012 Games</a> in London. A similar truce was endorsed by the U.N. for the recent Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing and was <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-welcomes-solemn-appeal-by-united-nations-to-observe-olympic-truce-during-beijing-2022">due to expire on March 20, 2022</a>. It is for breaching this truce that Russia was sanctioned by the world’s sporting bodies.</p>
<p>Of course, FIFA would have faced the same pressure to act even if Putin had waited for the truce to expire before invading Ukraine. And it is worth noting that several large sporting nations – Australia, the U.S. and India among them – refused to sign up for the truce because of China’s alleged human rights abuses.</p>
<h2>A new set of ethical principles?</h2>
<p>If sports are to be organized around ethical principles rather than knee-jerk reactions to current events, I believe some kind of consensus about ethical standards and participation is required. </p>
<p>Such a consensus could include banning nations that invade sovereign nations, commit human rights abuses at home, or fail to ensure equality before the law – the last of which provided the ethical basis for banning South African teams over apartheid.</p>
<p>Strict enforcement under these terms would have required frequent exclusions in the past. As well as excluding Russia and China, a case could have been made to sanction the U.S. and U.K. for their <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/sep/16/iraq.iraq">actions in Iraq</a>; likewise Saudi Arabia for its <a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/yemen">intervention in Yemen</a>, Turkey for its <a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/turkey">treatment of Kurds</a> and Brazil for its <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/29/brazil-indigenous-people-violates-rights">treatment of Indigenous populations</a>, to name but a few. </p>
<p>The reality is that FIFA administrators have always considered sports to be “realpolitikal,” which meant that no national team could be excluded for fear of diminishing the standing of the sporting competition itself.</p>
<p>As a result, bodies like FIFA and the IOC have largely embraced the good, the bad and the ugly. </p>
<p>With Russia’s suspension, sporting bodies may now find it more difficult to turn a blind eye to ethical concerns. The idea that international sport is apolitical has, I believe, finally been stripped of what little credibility it ever had. And if the notion that sports are necessarily political now gains wider acceptance, administrators will be forced to define exactly what they mean by “ethical.” </p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stefan Szymanski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Soccer’s governing body has long sheltered behind a view that the game is apolitical. Sanctioning Russia over invasion exposes why that doesn’t hold.Stefan Szymanski, Professor of Sport Management, University of MichiganLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.