When sports and politics collide
It comes as little surprise that emotions from sports often spill over
It is the mother of all clashes - India versus Pakistan. Fans at the Adelaide Oval always share the love, fun and of course the cricketing action. PHOTO: REUTERS
High on octane, filled with passion and, more often than not, with millions on the line, it comes as little surprise that emotions from sports often spill over. And for better or for worse, they often spill over into the murky realm of politics.
An oft cited example of the power of sports is when Pele allegedly stopped the Nigerian civil war. The story claims that when Brazilian side Santos, that featured the then two-time World Cup winner Pele, toured Africa in 1969, the two warring sides of Nigeria and Biafra both agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire in order to watch the game’s biggest star in action.
On this day: Pele, Brazil tasted first World Cup final victory
While Pele himself vows the story is true, the lack of coverage in newspapers and several discrepancies in the records mean there are more than a few question marks regarding the authenticity of the story. However, there have been many other cases where sports and politics have collided.
Pakistan-India cricket standoff
The neighbouring arch-rivals have had cold relations ever since the Partition and that bad blood has often resulted in tense and heated battles on sporting fields, especially in cricket. Cricket’s biggest rivalry is arguably the biggest of any sport but bilateral series between the two have stopped due to poor political relations.
“Your people are getting killed at the border, will you play cricket? Of course, I will say no. Any Indian will say no to that,” said then Board for Control of Cricket in India secretary Anurag Thakur, now its president, regarding a bilateral series with Pakistan last year. Pakistan cricketers are also not selected in the Indian Premier League, cricket’s biggest domestic T20 league, despite featuring and impressing in its first edition.
The size of the rivalry is such that the ICC have admitted to ‘fixing’ draws to ensure that the two sides face each other in the group stages of major tournaments — with that one fixture often earning almost as much as the rest of the tournament put together — but political relations mean cricketing fans are deprived of its most compelling spectacle.
Egyptian judoka refuses to shake hands with Israeli rival
Ethiopia’s Lilesa stands up against ethnic cleansing
When Ethiopia’s Feyisa Lilesa finished the Rio 2016 Olympic marathon in second place and held up his arms in an ‘x’ sign, the sign seemed innocuous and harmless to the casual observer. In reality, it has consigned Lelisa to a life of exile, with his life in danger if he is to return to his native Ethiopia.
The sign was to show solidarity with the people of Oromia, where the Ethiopian government has killed hundreds and arrested tens of thousands according to The New York Times. For their part, the Ethiopian government has said Lilesa has nothing to fear and will be treated like a hero upon his return, but the 26-year-old has said he will be killed if he does and is seeking asylum abroad. Egyptian judoka refuses to shake Israeli opponent's hand Egyptian Islam El Shehaby made headlines during the Rio 2016 Olympics for his refusal to shake the hand of Israeli judoka or Sasson after being defeated by him.
Shehaby, a conservative Muslim, had come under pressure to not compete against the Israeli but decided to go ahead with it. However, he refused to shake Sasson’s outstretched hand after the game, instead choosing to walk away shaking his head. Shehaby was sent home by his own team and reprimanded by the International Olympic Committee. Ofir Gendelman, Arabic language spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, labelled the incident ‘shocking’ in a tweet.
Celtic fans fly Palestinian flag
Fans of Scottish football club Celtic were fined by UEFA, European football's governing body, after they flew Palestinian flags in their Champions League qualifying match against Israeli side Hapoel Beer Sheva at Celtic Park on August 17.
The ban, however, managed to further incense the Celtic fans, who have since gathered over £100,000 for Palestinian charities. “This is highlighting the plight of an oppressed people. Celtic is all about standing up for the rights of those who don’t have a voice and therefore I’m now delighted by a UEFA fine that’s only helped draw more attention to the human tragedy and shown how solidarity can force change,” said a Celtic fan while being interviewed by The Guardian.
Celtic fans raise funds for Palestinian charities
The fans also showed immense bravery to repeat the feat in their second match against Sheva six days later, this time in Israel, despite the Israeli police warning them not to do so.
Kuwait refuse visa to Israeli official
The ICC did not take lightly to Kuwait denying an Israeli official a visa for a shooting event. The Asian Shooting Championship, which took place in November 2015, was stripped of its Olympic status by the IOC executive board after the International Sports Shooting Federation asked it to do so, which meant that it became a virtually meaningless competition to take part in for shooters attempting to qualify for the mega event in Rio.
“The denial of a visa is against the non-discrimination principle of the Olympic Charter. The Olympic Charter must apply for all Olympic Qualification competitions,” said the IOC in a statement.
An oft cited example of the power of sports is when Pele allegedly stopped the Nigerian civil war. The story claims that when Brazilian side Santos, that featured the then two-time World Cup winner Pele, toured Africa in 1969, the two warring sides of Nigeria and Biafra both agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire in order to watch the game’s biggest star in action.
On this day: Pele, Brazil tasted first World Cup final victory
While Pele himself vows the story is true, the lack of coverage in newspapers and several discrepancies in the records mean there are more than a few question marks regarding the authenticity of the story. However, there have been many other cases where sports and politics have collided.
Pakistan-India cricket standoff
The neighbouring arch-rivals have had cold relations ever since the Partition and that bad blood has often resulted in tense and heated battles on sporting fields, especially in cricket. Cricket’s biggest rivalry is arguably the biggest of any sport but bilateral series between the two have stopped due to poor political relations.
“Your people are getting killed at the border, will you play cricket? Of course, I will say no. Any Indian will say no to that,” said then Board for Control of Cricket in India secretary Anurag Thakur, now its president, regarding a bilateral series with Pakistan last year. Pakistan cricketers are also not selected in the Indian Premier League, cricket’s biggest domestic T20 league, despite featuring and impressing in its first edition.
The size of the rivalry is such that the ICC have admitted to ‘fixing’ draws to ensure that the two sides face each other in the group stages of major tournaments — with that one fixture often earning almost as much as the rest of the tournament put together — but political relations mean cricketing fans are deprived of its most compelling spectacle.
Egyptian judoka refuses to shake hands with Israeli rival
Ethiopia’s Lilesa stands up against ethnic cleansing
When Ethiopia’s Feyisa Lilesa finished the Rio 2016 Olympic marathon in second place and held up his arms in an ‘x’ sign, the sign seemed innocuous and harmless to the casual observer. In reality, it has consigned Lelisa to a life of exile, with his life in danger if he is to return to his native Ethiopia.
The sign was to show solidarity with the people of Oromia, where the Ethiopian government has killed hundreds and arrested tens of thousands according to The New York Times. For their part, the Ethiopian government has said Lilesa has nothing to fear and will be treated like a hero upon his return, but the 26-year-old has said he will be killed if he does and is seeking asylum abroad. Egyptian judoka refuses to shake Israeli opponent's hand Egyptian Islam El Shehaby made headlines during the Rio 2016 Olympics for his refusal to shake the hand of Israeli judoka or Sasson after being defeated by him.
Shehaby, a conservative Muslim, had come under pressure to not compete against the Israeli but decided to go ahead with it. However, he refused to shake Sasson’s outstretched hand after the game, instead choosing to walk away shaking his head. Shehaby was sent home by his own team and reprimanded by the International Olympic Committee. Ofir Gendelman, Arabic language spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, labelled the incident ‘shocking’ in a tweet.
Celtic fans fly Palestinian flag
Fans of Scottish football club Celtic were fined by UEFA, European football's governing body, after they flew Palestinian flags in their Champions League qualifying match against Israeli side Hapoel Beer Sheva at Celtic Park on August 17.
The ban, however, managed to further incense the Celtic fans, who have since gathered over £100,000 for Palestinian charities. “This is highlighting the plight of an oppressed people. Celtic is all about standing up for the rights of those who don’t have a voice and therefore I’m now delighted by a UEFA fine that’s only helped draw more attention to the human tragedy and shown how solidarity can force change,” said a Celtic fan while being interviewed by The Guardian.
Celtic fans raise funds for Palestinian charities
The fans also showed immense bravery to repeat the feat in their second match against Sheva six days later, this time in Israel, despite the Israeli police warning them not to do so.
Kuwait refuse visa to Israeli official
The ICC did not take lightly to Kuwait denying an Israeli official a visa for a shooting event. The Asian Shooting Championship, which took place in November 2015, was stripped of its Olympic status by the IOC executive board after the International Sports Shooting Federation asked it to do so, which meant that it became a virtually meaningless competition to take part in for shooters attempting to qualify for the mega event in Rio.
“The denial of a visa is against the non-discrimination principle of the Olympic Charter. The Olympic Charter must apply for all Olympic Qualification competitions,” said the IOC in a statement.