Unity through sports activities

At Your Service by DATUK MOHD YASIN MOHD SALLEH

More than just being about discipline and confidence, games bring the people together
regardless of their background.
SPORTS are all forms of physical activities that contribute to fitness, mental well-being and
social interaction. They include play, recreation, organised casual or competitive sports as well
as indigenous sports and games.
By their very nature, sports essentially denote participation. They are about inclusion and
citizenship. Sports activities bring individuals and communities together, highlighting
commonalities and bridging cultural or ethnic divides.
The easy and inherent ability of sports to bring people together make them a powerful
communication tool.
Sports provide a forum to learn skills such as discipline, confidence and leadership and core
principles such as acceptance, cooperation and respect. Sports expound the value of effort and
how to manage victory as well as defeat.
The fundamental elements of sports make them a viable and practical tool to support the
achievement of nation development. Taking part in activities will also help reduce the likelihood of
many diseases arising from a sedentary and inactive lifestyle.
Sports programmes are effective tools for social mobilisation, supporting health activities and
they can provide employment and contribute to local development. They encourage volunteerism
and can be utilised to spearhead non-governmental changes and transformation initiatives.
Sports can cut across barriers that divide societies, making them a powerful tool to support
conflict prevention and peace-building efforts. When applied effectively, sports programmes
promote social integration and foster tolerance, help reduce tension and generate dialogue.
The concept of Sports for All is central to the understanding of sports. This concept aims to
maximise access to and participation in appropriate forms of physical activities. Emphasis is
placed on participation and accessibility for all groups in society regardless of gender, age, ability
or race.
Many of the core values inherent in sports are compatible with the principles necessary for
development and peace, such as fair play, cooperation, sharing and respect.
The life skills learned through sports help empower individuals and enhance psycho-social wellbeing such as increased resilience, self-esteem and connection with others.

These features of sports are beneficial to people of all ages but they are especially vital to the
healthy development of young people who will inherit positions of power and responsibility in
government organisations.
More than stimulating economic growth, effectively designed sports programmes strengthen
basic human capabilities, create connections between individuals and teach core values and life
skills.
They are valuable tools to initiate social development and improve social cohesion, especially
when implemented among young people.
When social and personal skills are combined, sports can be an effective medium to intervene in
a persons ability to decide whether to abuse or not abuse drugs.
This is especially true when elements of sports are combined with mechanisms and structures
providing drug-related information and life-skills training.
Factors that contribute to young people turning to crime include the absence of positive role
models, a lack of self-discipline and boredom.
Sports can tackle causes of juvenile crime by helping youths make positive connections with
adults and their peers, by integrating them into constructive activities within society and by
providing useful activities.
Sports can be an effective tool for empowering girls and women, given that they are often
excluded from participation and from enjoying its physical and psycho-social benefits.
By directly challenging and dispelling misperception about womens capabilities, integrated
sports programmes help to reduce discrimination and widen womens role.
Sports can integrate persons with disabilities into society, providing an arena for positive social
interaction, reducing isolation and breaking down prejudices. Sports programmes for the
disabled are also cost-effective methods of rehabilitation.
They are highly therapeutic, improving motor skills and increasing mobility, self-sufficiency and
self-confidence.
Sports have been bringing people from all over the world together since the first Olympics in
Greece. Sports bring people a sense of accomplishment but more importantly, unity.
When playing a sport, you have to be able to communicate with team members and coaches. If
you are playing the sport by yourself, chances are you have a coach by your side.
Communication is extremely important when it comes to unity.
It allows you to tell other players or the coach what is going on in a particular situation to improve
and obtain better results.

In a team setting, you know your team is united when there is trust on the field or in the court.
You have to be able to trust that your teammate will make that important catch or trust in your
teammate to score the winning basket in the championship.
You may have a super star on your team but the lack of communication among players and the
super star would be costly. The team has lost the game before it started because without trust,
talent means nothing. Trust brings unity and is the key to winning games.
We have witnessed the extent and far-reaching consequences of participation in sports to the
individual, community, organisation, institution and the nation.
The benefits are indeed tremendous and ideally sports can extend to previously unchartered
territories of endeavours and manage human conflicts. Sports will continue to serve human
development.