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Sports Sports

Athletes demonstrate the meaning and value of physical life some time. The political will and science required to save
Four years have passed. Now a pandemic grips the world. humanity rest on human culture, one of whose seldom-recog-
Earlier this year, the International Olympic Commission (IOC) nised proponents is sport.
and host country Japan moved the 32nd Olympiad to 2021. Perhaps it is grossly undervalued at this time that in sport
The world is now in a second twelve-month countdown before and in its highest collective celebration via Olympism, the
it meets in Tokyo. Similar to every facet of human life and world is reminded of what cooperation and friendship look
work, sports have engaged in adjustments to the invisible like. The face of humanity finds its DNA in the recognition
virus that continues to take human lives, spread, and elude and practice of respect for each other and for the common
cure. game the world is engaged in – survival of human life and our
How athletes and sportspeople prepare their minds and planet. There is no proponent higher than an athlete who has
bodies has changed overnight. Coaches and sports administra- to depend on the best food and water in the physical world,
tion bodies have returned to the drawing board, largely cyber- the deepest emotional and mental fortitude in the social and
based, to alter approaches, plans and activities to achieve cultural world, and the largest reservoir of spiritual strength
the specific aim of ensuring athletes and teams reach and grounded on discipline and fidelity to attain some measure
maintain their peak performance levels in July of 2021. Today, of participation in the arena. In the one year to go to the
more than ever, athletes face heavier mental health needs as Tokyo Olympics, this is perhaps the biggest contribution sports
every single one has borne the impact of COVID-19 through can make to humanity – to remind us of what it means to be
the illness or loss of friends, family and country people, every human, to remind us of the ancient adage that failure and
spike and flow in numeric trends conveyed by the media af- defeat has never meant the destruction of the human spirit.
fecting their mental health. To watch the world as one knows So how will ONOC harness this opportunity to leverage the
it collapse and its social and economic repercussions continue culture and spirit of sport and its people in Oceania. The les-
to grow is no simple task, particularly when one’s life and son is perhaps most urgent under the burden of our frontline
work centres around the building and maintenance of one’s status in the existential threat of climate change, disease,
physical body. The challenge of preparation is sharper against poverty and the diminishing rooms for participation and deci-
the challenge of the novel coronavirus. To focus on every sion-making in the global arena. If the lessons of sevens rugby,
muscle, nerve and sinew has never been enough for any ath- Olympism and sport can be harnessed over the one year to go
lete – the heart of dream and performance has always been before Tokyo 2021, it is that going it alone has never been and
seated within the walls of strength of mind, soul and spirit. is never be acceptable.
The culture of sport - celebrating life, celebrating planet This is what it means to leave no one behind. Oceania and
While the world of sport has not had to prepare and meet in ONOC can lead the region through this.
the middle of a pandemic, the values and ideals of Olympism What greater human example do we have than the will and
offer a guide for reflection and redirection; the Olympic rings’ discipline of an athlete or sportsperson to show us what our
representation of universality, diversity, fraternity, peace, bodies, the carriers of life, can fight?
respect and friendship lie at the core of what it means to be
human. It also offers a reminder of the values and ideals re- editor@islandsbusiness.com
quired for the world to combat COVID-19. The conversation of
humanity keeps arriving at the door of realisation that science This article was written with the support of the Oceania
and politics alone are insufficient for managing a pandemic National Olympic Committee.
and other pressing issues that have plagued the planet for

Islands Business, September/October 2020 35