How often do we hear people say politics should be kept out of sport?
Ever since modern sports were played throughout the world politics was very much part of it. We only need to look at our games of hurling, football, camogie and handball. They were modernised by the founders of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in 1884 to counter the foreign games of rugby, cricket and soccer which were planter games. This was very much a political move.
Today we see many clubs and grounds named after Irish Republicans and Unionists continue to insist the names are changed. Gaelic games are not played in Protestant schools with no thought given to how popular this could be with pupils.
The modern Olympic Games, major soccer, rugby and others are run by people who make political decisions every day. The 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin were a showcase for Hitler at the time when fascism was on the rise throughout the world. Soccer, rugby and cricket teams were asked to boycott South Africa during the days of Apartheid and for the most part many countries complied. Compare this with many calling for a similar boycott of Israel due to their oppression of Palestine.
In recent days we have seen the despicable spectacle of super rich golfers agreeing to play in tournaments financed by Saudi Arabia. Ridiculous amounts of money have been offered to golfers and many have been queuing up despite knowing the human rights abuses committed by that country.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine many sports’ bodies have been calling for Russia to be boycotted from competitions despite the contradictions. Wars are ongoing in countries either started or backed by the US, Britain and their allies but as countless people die in those wars the sporting bodies keep quiet.
Politics is very much a part of sport. Sport is a weapon, utilised by imperialists; and one that can be utilised also by socialist revolutionaries across the globe.
