The tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili and
the recent terrorist threats directed at sportsmen in India
have quashed any thoughts that global sport is just a game.
George Orwell's description of serious sport as war minus the
shooting is no longer accurate.
All athletes accept a certain level of risk in sport.
From tweaking your back in lawn bowls to wrenching a knee in
rugby, injuring yourself is a given in many weekend sporting
events and leisure pursuits.
The risk factor in sports that involve contact, speed and
power is increased exponentially, and in many cases, danger
is what attracts risk-taking individuals to these sports.
As the rewards due to sporting success grow so, too, do risky
behaviours, such as doping and excessive training.
Five athletes had previously died in pursuit of Olympic fame:
two while training for the 1964 Winter Olympics, a skier
during a training run in 1992, a Danish cyclist in 1960 and a
Portuguese marathon runner after collapsing from sunstroke
and heart trouble in 1912.
It is also speculated that athletes have died as a result of
doping.
The tragedy in Whistler was shocking and sad, but its impact
on sport in general is minimal.
Terrorism threats, however, have a more lasting impact
because the most significant danger terrorists pose to global
sport is fear.
The killing of 11 members of Israel's Olympic team at the
1972 Munich Games by the Palestinian terrorist group Black
September made the threat of terrorism a reality, and attacks
on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan and the Togo
football team in Angola are even fresher in our memories.
Al Qaeda has now apparently threatened to target sporting
events hosted in India, including the 2010 Hockey World Cup,
the IPL and the Commonwealth Games, and many New Zealand
athletes are involved in these events.
We often expect our elite athletes to be committed and to
make sacrifices, but do we expect them to risk their lives in
order to play sport?
It wasn't so long ago that the Black Caps nearly suffered at
the hands of terror when a suicide bomb blasted outside their
Pakistan hotel.
Do we let the terrorists win and stop athletes and teams from
participating, or do we sacrifice the athletes' safety to
make a point?
The initial reaction from New Zealand athletes and
associations has been mixed - in some cases ignorant, and in
others reeking of the "she'll be right, mate" philosophy.
The risks in sport participation at the elite level have
escalated drastically and the mental toughness and bravery of
our athletes will be truly tested in India.
Rather them than me.
Surely the health and safety of our athletes and support
staff is more important than a cup or trophy, and in this
instance I'd agree it is only a game.
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