Tariq Al-Maeena The recent London Olympics are history and athletes are concentrating on events elsewhere. But where did we stand among the medal winners? Was our modest collection of one bronze a reflection of indifference of our sports authorities or was it something else? Several readers helped answer that question. MA from Jeddah says: We fared so poorly because it is considered a waste of time to invest in activities like sports, professional training, good education, and finally facilities. RH adds: The Arab World is full of youth who would be gold medalists if only sports is given the proper attention it deserves. Europeans, Americans and Far Eastern countries put a lot of resources into training athletes. Sports teach kids leadership, team work, discipline and pride. Such virtues are neither developed in our kids in school nor afterwards in life. Sports is viewed as a win or lose event and not as a teaching medium, character development and for improvement of society. I have experienced this first hand as a swimming coach. I coached kids who had great potential to become national swimmers and competitors in international events. Locally, they were not given the attention or opportunity they deserved. One of these kids went to study in the US and was taken by his university's swimming team. He broke many school records during his four-year stay at the university. Unfortunately, our Youth Sports Commission totally ignored his achievements. Dr. SA: There are several reasons. a) absence of a culture of sports and concepts. b) Our schools have no ability to discover athletic potentials and nurture them. c) Lack of proper training that would qualify an athlete to enter global competition. d) Unsound perception of women taking part in sports, ignoring the fact that it could improve one's health and the well-being of a community. And finally the lack of qualified clubs to sponsor and develop campus competitors to become world-class athletes. ZA says: 1. To participate in international sports requires tremendous practice and has to be started at a very early age when the windows of opportunities are open to kids. Just as when children learn to walk and later to run, sports activities have to start at the appropriate age. Unfortunately, what we do is spoil our kids by getting them entertained in malls and theme parks, and get them used to unhealthy fast foods. 2. Our schools do not provide the proper environment for sports. Schools have few physical activities as entertainment and body exercises. Moreover, there are no proper coaches to train children at international levels. We do not have scouts that pick out talents. In addition, interschool competition is not performed at domestic levels. 3. We are satisfied with and reward mediocre performance. Authorities do not set standards of performance. Also, in some cases “wasta" does not allow talent to surface. NG in Riyadh: Athletes who take part in international and Olympic events should not only practice rigorously, but must also be supported by sport experts and technicians who look into how athletes perform. How much of this is done in our country? YA argues: The same reason why Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and most Third World countries are short of medals —backwardness and people are too busy trying to survive. These countries have no tradition or culture that promotes competitive spirit but only selected sports that only rich people are interested in. Economics, culture and traditions in these countries are not conducive to the development of a sporting spirit. FG adds: Sports must be integrated into our school curriculum from a very early age. Physical education should be a mandatory subject for all ages, genders and should be graded. Those who fail in the subject could not proceed to the higher grade. Sports should be part of our being just like reading and writing. Once a generation is given this opportunity, only then will we get more gold, silver or bronze. AM: It's the same old problem. Pouring all the money and resources into football. We should have a total approach toward sports. It doesn't exist in our school system and even at the university level. Also we are not persevering. All successful countries in the field of sports have a detailed program at the grassroots level. You see them preparing the kids from an early age with all sorts of organized sports programs. Another issue is the officials in charge of sports. They are more interested in the prestige of being members of federations and committees and are more enthusiastic to show up at international events than the athletes themselves. Most of them do not have any athletic skill. It is not difficult to gather from the expressed views that a lot of work needs to be done if we are to be serious contenders on the world stage. We do not lack the resources, but do we have the collective will? — The author can be reached at [email protected]
