It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game.

by Megan Levanduski

Sports can be a great way to bring people together. Despite the competitive spirit and national pride, a sense of international cooperation and mutual respect is found in events like the Olympics or the World Cup. Every once in a while, however, a few select people ruin it for the rest of the world by bringing these events to the tabloids with rumors of scandals. At an international cricket competition in August, an umpire made a controversial call against Pakistan that sparked rumors of racism and bias from the judge and the system. The umpire accused members of the Pakistan team of tampering with the ball.

More recently, a motor sports competition in Turkish Cypriot showed reflections of much more deep seeded political conflicts. Turkish Cypriot is a Turkish controlled section of Cyprus that is only officially recognized as a state by Turkey. At the competition, the political leader of Turkish Cypriot was introduced as the President of the region as he gave the winning prize. This upset Cyprus denounced the event as exploitation of the event by the Turkish Cypriot leaders.

With preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympics in full swing, it is up to the international community to show the dignity and respect that is normally shown in sports. I can only hope that these few incidents of conflict are isolated, and that international competitions will take their cue from the World Cup, which Secretary General of the UN Kofi Anan states as a “phenomena as universal as the United Nations” due to its promotion of diversity. While sports are a chance for pride, they are more importantly a place for sportsmanship, and a chance to unite people who would not be willing to any other way.