India’s ‘Operation Isolation’ and weak sports power

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India’s ‘Operation Isolation’ and weak sports power

Governments are using other forms of diplomacy, including games, to achieve political goals and project image.

“Our message is stronger than ever. Please stop fighting. Please stop the killing. Please put down your guns.” Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee speaking at the 1994 Winter Olympics.

The playground is often used in modern society to create peace, but it has also been used to create violence. George Orwell wrote in it Of the Spirit of Play (1945) games are “war, minus the gun” and have the power to show the worst aspects of nationalism. How it is controlled, or even increased, is in the hands of those who hold political power.

In the days that followed the Pulwama happened, the tensions between Pakistan and India began to escalate again. While India’s first response was to impose a heavy economic penalty, most of the responses that followed came in the form of sporting sanctions, and most involved something close to hearts of people on both sides: cricket.

The fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) became the main topic of increasing anger and vitriol. Leading Indian media and broadcasters, including IMG Reliance, D Sports and CricBuzz, terminated their contracts with the broadcasters of the tournament, and angering the PSL campaign in India. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also came under special scrutiny from India’s leading sportsmen, media and ordinary citizens, yes lady the match between Pakistan and India in cricket World Cup (June 2019).

Outside of cricket, other sports have also been implemented. It is said to be supplied by Pakistan 90% of hockey sticks used in India, and will be greatly affected by the increase in customs duties of 200%. As a result, the hockey fraternity in India should quickly find new customers who can meet the demand, as well as representing the quality from the other side of the border. The Shooting World Cup, which was held in New Delhi a week after the attack and was expected to be an Olympic qualifier, was also dragged into the conflict when Pakistani athletes were denied visas to participate in the tournament.

Other economic sanctions will come later, followed by a military response, but it seems that the use of sports sanctions will start this ‘Operation Isolation’.

However, these sanctions have not proved effective in excluding Pakistan from the playing field. We saw PSL replace its distributors immediately and have yet another successful edition. Regarding the World Cup, discussions between the BCCI and the International Cricket Council (ICC) were made public, including copies of communications between the two bodies. It is clear that the ICC and the organizers of the World Cup do not accept any political war taking place on the cricket field.

Perhaps the most surprising position came from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in response to Pakistan’s request regarding the Play the World Cup. Not only did the IOC cancel the tournament of its Olympic qualification for the special order, they continued on it. stop all talks with the Indian government about hosting future games in India. The IOC also advised that all international federations should refrain from hosting any international games in India until written guarantees are given to ensure the participation of all athletes.

This may prove to be a remarkable decision from the governing body of the Olympics, which usually does not take a strong public position in political matters. This is true because the first plea only happened with the gun. However, it is unlikely that India will work to end this suspension as soon as possible, even if it means preserving its relations with Pakistan. Failure to do so could mean that many of its hosting rights and bids will be on the block, including the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup (2020), the Hockey World Cup ( 2022/2023) and the ICC Cricket World Cup (2023), among others.

The truth is that this is not the first time that tensions between the two neighbors have escalated, and this is not the first time that the stadium has been used for punishment to perform and make political statements.

India-Pakistan cricket relations It has been turbulent since its inception in 1952. Both countries have hosted many good matches and opened their borders for citizens to travel to support their teams. At the same time, women from the ruling regime and opposition from ordinary citizens have also had the opposite effect on cricket and other sports relations between the two nations.

India’s cricket tour of Pakistan (2004) is considered one of the four most famous performance of diplomatic gameswith the ‘Christmas Truce’ of the First World War (1914), in which the German and British soldiers were said to have held informal football ceremonies on Christmas day, was number one.

Even outside the subcontinent, sports are still part of international diplomacy, although it is a more subtle one. We have seen many protests and riots when it comes to international sports, such as the Black Power Salute (at the 1968 Olympics), the American boycott of the 1980 Olympics during the Cold War. War, the opposition of the Soviet Union in the 1984 Olympics, and the international world. sports games of Apartheid South Africa. However, it was not hard to see how these implications would arise for sports when the Olympic Games first began. After all, it was developed on the same idea of ​​using games to encourage and promote peace in the warring nations of Ancient Greece.

The way in which international sports are managed and included today, shows their potential and ability to bridge the gap between nations. With so much potential to be used as a distraction in international diplomacy and to break down barriers, the power of sports can only be as strong as the will and commitment of our world leaders. In an era in which power is threatened by the international world, governments are increasingly using other methods of diplomacy, including sports, to achieve their political goals and shape their international image. If we, as humans, can understand the relationship between the two, then we can influence its impact.

This is not the first time that sports have been used to express and act out the voice of conflict and hatred, and unfortunately it is not the this is the last thing. For now, we can be aware of how these activities related to the playground can be used to maintain or stimulate certain emotions in us, and also pray that our leaders use these playgrounds and playgrounds to help us come together, instead of pushing. let’s separate.

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