Good and Bad Sports

This posting combines two of my favourite sports, skiing and tae kwon do. It is also the story of two very different responses to competition.

In the first instance a tae kwon do match ends in possibly the most shocking display of bad sportsmanship that I have ever seen (keeping in mind that I also watch hockey - which has a fair number of fights). Upset about the referee's decision (actually not very controversial except for what follows) a fighter and his coach start to harass the officials. And then the fighter kicks the referee in the face. It is an unreal moment.

This is competition at it's worst and most ugly. Win at all costs. Might makes right. To the winner go the spoils. At this point, sport has ceased. Sport is between parties who have agreed to compete, who agree to rules, and who play by them, win or lose. To see the incident for yourself follow the link below to the CBC highlights.
Bad Sports


On the other end of the spectrum is perhaps one of the most heartwarming examples of good sportsmanship that I can remember. During a cross country skiing race at the Turin Olympics one of the Canadian skiers broke her pole. Anyone who has done cross country skiing (Nordic skiing) will know that the poles are essential. Sure enough the skier began to fall behind. But she kept going anyway. And then one the opposing team's coaches jumped out and handed the skier, Sara Renner, another pole.
Nice!
Good Sports


These two incidents show very different responses to competition and hardship. And there is really no debate around the famous question, WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do?) He suggests turning the other cheek (Luke 6:29 or Luke 22:49-51) in the face of aggression, something that the referee in the Beijing case did. Jesus also reminds us that life (especially a life of faith) is not necessarily easy (Matthew 16:24) and we should persevere, like Sara Renner did.

Over the summer, Minesing United Church, hosted a Vacation Bible Camp based on the theme, Good Sports! Great Goals! It was about peacemaking, conflict resolution, and understanding that the world is not meant for any individual but was created by God for all of us. And not only did God create the world for everyone, but also we are meant to take care of it and each other. As an example of this spirit the race Sara Renner ran, with the help of the Norwegian coach, stands out.

The Olympics are over for another four years. But even between the Olympics sports continue. Again and again there are opportunities for people of all ages to compete in a way that recognizes and celebrates the contributions of all athletes, while at the same time acknowledging excellence. And sport is just the tip of the competitive iceberg. We compete in all kinds of things. We just need to decide how we are competing.

K