| Promoting National Integration through Games and Sports | | NATIONAL INTERGRATION DAY | | Manpreet Kour, Gurpreet Singh | 11/19/2019 10:23:09 PM |
| Undoubtedly sport has been recognized as a popular and appropriate tool for social integration in the civil society as well as on political level. Numerous declarations on national and international level, national and international "action plans", thousands of projects and programmes could be listed in this field of action. And the challenge to improve the efforts seem to become even more important. Integration of ethnic minorities has become one of the most demanding socialpolitical challenges in our societies. Physical Education is integral to education process. It results in holistic development of personality physically fit, mentally sharp, emotionally balanced and socially well adjusted.
The sport became and continue to be a major sanction tool in international relations in a positive way. By its increasing effects it is one of the most important cases from the past century to nowadays. The sportive competitions executed previously by a very small minority has influence almost all the world before the Olympic Games, and then other organizations (especially football). The sport has become even a phenomena more widespread than the facts such as the democracy, the free market, and even the freedom. The sport has been a decisive instrument in national and international politics. As a global phenomenon it has the popularity due to the governmental socio-economic conditions of communities. It takes place in the consumption phenomenon accelerated by the globalization. The politically bipolar world was considered as a world based on competition between two camps which have established the culture, art, sports, literature, technology, military and policy. In fact the sport in that period played a significant role in the test of power and competition between the two poles in an environment without war, because athletic competitions mean the war of which the results are not death. The economic effects of the globalization also show itself in the sports industry.
Physical education and sports is a media through which integration process shall take place. The term integration consists of co-operation. Co-operation is an integrated action of individuals or groups towards the achievement of some common purpose or goal. Sports competitions, group competitions, inter-community sports contests, intramural sports competitions, special programmes in the schools and at home play a predominant role in developing the concept of national integration. The spirit of brotherhood and friendship is fostered through games and sports. Ideas, actions, reactions, behaviours and human movements acquire a unity of colour and flavor at the sports field. The ideal of oneness springs up through play. Physical education and sports create the principle of give and take policy among the individuals. Education cannot be a happy affair unless the teachers and the students co-operate or integrate with one another. Similarly no game can be owned without the co-operation or integration of all the members of the team. It can be fairly said that physical education and national integration go hand in hand. Further, physical education and sports develop the basic components of integration such as co-operation, attitude, sympathy, friendliness, fellow feeling, willingness, respect to others, co-ordination, motivation, tolerance, trust-worthiness, integrity, oneness, and identification. Etymologically, the term integration means, "unify and made into one whole".
Games and sports in the context of national integration absorbs elements such as cooperation, discipline, judicious use of leisure, competitive spirit, democratic values, socialization, culture, national spirit, ideal citizenship, cordial relationships, removal of social evils, employment and peace.
Integration of minorities is an indispensable social-political aim of governments and civil societies pursuing human rights and values and is substantial for a smoothly running, peaceful society. Social integration is a long lasting and very differentiated process of joining together and growing together. It needs: convergence, argumentation, communication, finding agreements, identification of differences, assumption of common responsibilities. In contrary to "Assimilation" (total conformity) "Integration" demands not to surrender own cultural identity. Integration is to keep independence, but to acknowledge the culture of the up taking country as a "guiding culture". The existence and setting up of "parallel societies" is counteracting to the process of integration.
The sport being a part of the universal culture, is an important instrument of combining different people in the world. It is an activity that contributes to world peace. There is a social cohesion in all of sportive activities as well as relax and fun. The sport plays an important role in the social fusion and identification. The physical and mental satisfaction facilities provided by sports are an integral part of a new way of life. The sport is one of the most popular organizations in the community. There is no doubt that the sport is a set of important events taking place in the human life and the public health in the narrow and broad sense
All the athletes competing in international competitions have the same feelings. The same enthusiasm covers their inner world. This is a peaceful world war which isn't directed to any nation. The parties competing each other have one ideal. It is possible to see over there all types of people from different culture, religion or race. Five interlocking rings of the Olympic Games repesente five continents. This show a great community where young people are coming together for the peace world.
It is obverved that the sport become increasily efficient in international politics. In cases where the first diplomatic instruments give no results the sport can be used as a second diplomatic tool by all countries and groups who feel powerless. Participation in sports improves social values among the people which help in the development or uplifting of the community. Sport reduces the social evils among the students and help in the improvement of social values such as peace, equality and brother-hood. Sports can also support the personality of a person physically, mentally, economically, and socially.It also improves the efficiency of the body and decreases the different kinds of diseases . Participation in sports programs at college and university level helps in improving the spirit of success, leadership and different social values among the students.
Sports help in building positive social relations and improve different skills among the youth of country. Participation in sports and physical activities develop character of the individual.Sports and physical activities provide such opportunities, which help in the development of social status, social relations and spirit of teamwork among the youth of country. Sports provide a platform to develop different social values such as co-operation, assertion, responsibility, sympathy and self-esteem. Participation in well-organized program improves the social interaction among the people. Socialization is a life-long process starts from the beginning to the end of life. Sports play a vital role in the socialization process of a person. All the above stated discussions show clearly that participation in sports and physical activities is obvious for every one because it develops a person not only physically but also makes a him an active social member of the society.
Sport is a broad term comprising different types of games as well as the level it is practiced on. Participation in sports events not only provides chances of amusement and recreation but also provides a platform which brings together people from different areas, religions, languages and customs and traditions. From such platforms, social values like unity, fraternity, equality, justice, and co-operation get promoted among the participants.
Sports is a universal language. At its best it can bring people together, no matter what their origin, background, religious beliefs or economic status are. When young people participate in sports or have access to physical education, they can experience real exhilaration even as they learn the ideals of teamwork and tolerance. That is why sports has always been used as a medium of help in the work for peace, and in the efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of international importance. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2005 as the International Year of Sport and Physical Education. The United Nations Fund for International Partnerships also merits recognition for the important role it plays in fostering sports-related programmes in developing countries.
Sport as a suitable tool for integration.
As it was already pointed out, that sport activities had been used since a long time successful for the aims of integration in many projects and programmes. But why is sport a suitable medium for integration.
v Mutual experience through and with our bodies makes it easier to get known of each other and to come close together.
v Sport follows rather uniformed rules and norms.
v Language is less important for communication than in other parts of our social life.
v Jointly experiencing victories, defeat and emotions create a feeling of community. Nationality, color and philosophy of life lose in importance.
v Sportive values of fair play, respect, international understanding creates an atmosphere of familiarity.
We know as well that sport can also provoke negative racialist effects, hate, violence and xenophobia. Every weekend we can observe many examples of separation instead of integration through sport on soccer fields.Undoubtedly sport offers a high potential for the process of integration, particularly in the first phase of this long lasting process. Sport can/should be a "door-opener" and later on a constant, supporting companion within this multifacetted process. But also in sport the effects of integration have to be strived for carefully, have to be organized, need a systematical and continuous approach, need specially educated instructors and managers.
Conclusion
The sport being a part of the universal culture, is an important means of combining different people in the world. It is an activity that contributes to world peace. It can be defined as a totality of activities realised in order to affect positively social and moral benefits as well as physical benefits. It has been a great sanction tool in International relations. It is also a new science determining the nature of the human behavior and mental structure by means of activities, games, competitions as well as training physically the human body. It becomes a social event entered deeply into the social life of people. The sports sociology in this context has been defined as a science branches describing the sport as a major and social phenomenon, studying it as a social institution and a social system.
It is obverved that the sport become increasily efficient in international politics. The sport is the most noble of the wars in international platforms because it is a war of peace. The international sports battles aren't like to the political wars. The sporting competitions are manfully, honest, friendly and sportsmanlike. For such a sportsmanship, a person can not be natural athletes, by contrast he should deserve the title. |
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