Vol. 28 No. 305 (2023)
Sport and democratic participation
Major sporting events serve to encourage people to engage in physical activity and thus promote an active and healthy lifestyle. At the same time, they can inspire feelings and emotions that accompany the achievements of athletes and also promote values such as respect, fair play and the discipline necessary to achieve personal or collective achievement.
However, it has also served to hide atrocious realities that occurred in the countries. For example, the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were the scene where a totalitarian government attempted to use sport, through propaganda, as a means to show the superiority of the Aryan race. For its part, during the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, the military dictatorship sought by all means to hide the illegal repression and the disappearance of people, diverting attention and manipulating public opinion.
Sport is a manifestation of culture that should be affirmed as a space for egalitarian and democratic participation, which can add to peaceful coexistence between communities. And in this sense, it must be an expression against denialism, forgetfulness and indifference.
Tulio Guterman, Director - October 2023
Published:
2023-10-09
