AIBA vs Sarita Devi: Where does sportsmanship fit in today's sporting world?

At its best, sport is the honourable pursuit of victory. Sportspersons are expected to reach faster, higher, stronger goals and also be anchored by the ethos of ‘sportsmanship’. Sportsmanship is such a heavy word - it means playing fair and abiding by the rules of the sport, adhering to ethics, respecting opponents, teammates and match officials and accepting the outcome of the match in a dignified manner. In short, sportsmanship means being ’nice’. There are umpteen examples of sportsmanship woven through the history of sport. However, there are so many different facets and consequences to this ethos. Would you be willing to risk a victory or sacrifice the result of the match in order to do the right thing? How would you rather be remembered - as a ’not-so-nice’ winner or a ’nice’ loser? After the glory days, would your conscience and integrity matter more or the colour of your medal? Would you rather nurture relationships through sport or nurture the accolades, fame and money? [caption id=“attachment_1804343” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Sarita Devi (left). AFP[/caption] There is no one correct answer or ideal conduct. Different sportspersons and circumstances have warranted different reactions over the years. One example that comes to mind is that of Australian athlete John Landy who became the second man (after Roger Bannister) to break the 4-minute barrier to run a mile. In 1956, during a final race, Landy accidently scraped a fellow competitors arm. He stopped running midway to ensure that the competitor was ok before he resumed the race, eventually coming in first. Today, a bronze statue in Melbourne commemorates Landy’s good deed. And it is aptly titled ‘Sportsmanship’. Impressive right? Yet I can’t help but wonder how the perception of this event would have changed had this good deed actually cost Landy the win? A display of sportsmanship is easily exalted when the hero emerges victor and all ends well. But sometimes, sportsmanship turns out to be the fine line between being a success and being a sucker. In 2012, it cost Spanish runner Iván Fernández Anaya a victory. When Kenyan Abel Mutai, Olympic bronze medallist slowed down before the finishing tape believing he had completed the race and won, Iván prompted him towards the actual finish line. Iván could have taken advantage of Mutai’s error and raced to victory but instead he chose the moral route and did what he “had to do”. On the other hand, Ivan’s coach was not happy and felt “The gesture made him a better person, but not a better athlete. He wasted an occasion." So was Ivan a success or a sucker? When he looks back at his career, will this gesture evoke a feeling of pride or regret? For some, the words honour and victory need not necessarily be plugged into the same sentence. For them, victory is the topmost priority - and they wouldn’t mind traversing through a bit of grey to attain it. For example, various tactics such as sledging / trash talking / chirping (used to distract opponents verbally), using a medical timeout for other than medical reasons (such as breaking the rhythm of the opponent or catching your breath etc.), diving and falling in an exaggerated manner in football and hockey (to force a penalty on the opponents) or the ‘Mankad’ dismissal in cricket (where the bowler attempts to get the non-striking batsman out as he leaves the crease before the bowler has actually delivered the ball) are used. While these tactics fall within the framework of the sports’ rules, they sometimes overstep ethical boundaries and are not considered to be in the spirit of true sportsmanship. American sportswriter Grantland Rice (1880–1954) wrote “For when the One Great Scorer comes to write against your name, He marks—not that you won or lost — But how you played the game.” Back in the day, sportsmanship was revered. If approached with this attitude, sports feels beautiful…spiritual even. But considering the sport of today, this attitude might seem passé or even bizarre to some. It’s hard to ascertain the gravitas that ‘sportsmanship’ enjoys in today’s competitive sports scenario with cut-throat rivalry and high stakes. Sportsmanship has been devalued at all levels by not only the sportspersons themselves but by the entire ecosystem of coaches, parents, fans, officials etc. Take former world boxing champion Sarita Devi’s case at the Asian Games 2014. After her protest at the medal ceremony, the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) threatened her with disciplinary action and confiscation of her medal stating that her actions were not in keeping with the spirit of fair play and ‘sportsmanship’ of the Olympic movement. But in the same breath, we could ask why the judges of that bout were not held liable to the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship? Did they display sportsmanship by being biased towards the local favourite? If they judged a similar bout under different circumstances, would they score it the same way? According to me, it’s a bit unfair that the onus to display sportsmanship should fall solely on the shoulders of the sportsperson alone. Everyone directly and indirectly involved with the sport together should aspire towards an atmosphere of sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is actually quite complex with many prongs. It is a reflection of the individual’s motivators, priorities and above all, their belief system. It is the result of a conscious personal decision that has to be taken often at the spur of the moment under extreme pressure. It requires empathy, courage and maturity to implement. Though on the decline, fortunately sportsmanship hasn’t been wiped out completely. A story is doing the rounds about a mentally and physically challenged little boy called Shay who was given the opportunity to play at a crucial juncture in a local baseball match. Though Shay could barely play, both the teams conspired to make sure Shay scored a home run and was pronounced hero of the day. Shay’s father stated “the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.” Such stories are a testament of sportsmanship. Such stories are the ones that our children need to grow up on. Sport is a unique medium that has potential to provide organic learning for one and all - hard work and perseverance, patience, pleasure and passion, team work and camaraderie, competitiveness with compassion. Sportsmanship is the checkpoint to ensure sports is played right - with honour in the pursuit of victory.