Context:

• This article is based on an Editorial “This Quote Means: ‘Sport has the power to… unite people in a way little else does’, from Nelson Mandela” which was published in the Indian Express. Recently, the International Cricket Council, ICC 2023 World Cup tournament was hosted by India. It started on 5 October and concluded on 19 November 2023, with Australia winning the tournament. 

Role of Sports

• A tool of Unity: An opportunity where people can come together over a single, uncomplicated goal, of hoping for their team’s victory.
• A Force: Sports, in general, are often a force in themselves: be it the competitiveness that divides people over long-standing rivalries, or the highs and lows of a game that unites millions of people.
  • The most bitter rivalries are between teams whose countries share a contentious political or ethnic history. In the words of writer George Orwell, sports are “war minus the shooting.”
• Political Dimension: Politicians have long used sports to further causes dear to them. 
  • Sports have been linked to regionalism and nationalism for a long time. 
• Power to Change: Former South African President Nelson Mandela said, “Sport has the power to change the world, it has the power to inspire. It is more powerful than the government in breaking down racial barriers.”

Also Read: The Evolution Of Cricket As A Global Powerhouse

The Case of South Africa

• Sufferers of Apartheid: South Africa suffered for decades under British colonial rule and an apartheid regime that made race-based discrimination a part of the government’s official policy. 
  • Black populations were made to live in particular parts of cities and had restricted access to most high-quality resources.
• Demand of Symbols’ Destroyal: A History Channel article, after apartheid ended, notes that “Black South Africans wanted to destroy any symbols of the apartheid regime such as the Springbok, which had been the rugby team’s mascot and the sport’s emblem of apartheid’s National Party, since 1906.”
• Mandela and the 1995 Cup: The 1995 Rugby World Cup finals changed how the team was perceived, due to Mandela’s efforts to extend a peace offering of sorts.
  • He went out onto the field, before a crowd of 65,000 that was 95% white, wearing the green Springbok jersey, the old symbol of oppression, beloved of his apartheid jailers.
  • He was of the view that outreach was necessary to bring together the “rainbow nation”, bringing in the various groups that made it diverse.
  • Mandela’s gesture in 1995 was hailed as a metaphor for racial reconciliation in the nation.  The team’s victory in the final led to common celebrations. 

Conclusion:

Every sport has a soft power to unite the people of the country putting aside their caste, sex, creed, race, etc., by a single identity of that Nation.

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