● From our sister site, TheSportsExaminer.com ●
A new formula for engagement between sport and politics as intertwined and essential was described last week by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) in an important, 48-minute keynote address to the General Assembly of the Oceania National Olympic Committees, meeting in Fiji.
Bach spoke directly to the issues between the IOC, representing world sport, and governments around the world that have their own issues and interests. It’s easily the most exacting description of how any IOC President has ever seen the intersection of sport and politics:
“When speaking about good governance and promoting the relevance of sport in our society, then it’s also about respecting the different roles of the actors in society.
“And that is, in particular, true for politics. We will, hopefully, always have issues with politics.
“Because if we don’t have issues with politics any more, it means we are not relevant any more.
“Politicians are only interested in successful organizations. If we are not successful, if they don’t have the feeling that we have access to so many people in society, that we can contribute something, they will not be interested.
“So, I hope we will always have issues with politics, but what we need to do is that we can address these challenges in the right way and that means that we have to deal with politics in mutual respect.
“It means for us, in the world of sport, we have to respect that the world is run by politicians, and not by us. Unfortunately. But we also have to make politics understanding, in politicians understanding that we can only contribute to society, if they respect our autonomy.
“If they want to politicize us, if they want us to use as political tools, we cannot contribute any more, because then we are losing our values.
“Politics is always divisive. You always have different opinions, you also always have confrontation, you always have a clash of interests. Sport is unifying. Sport is the contrary of being divisive. Sport is the glue which holds our societies together.
“To mention only one example, for the differences between sport and politics. So we have to defend by all means our autonomy. And I say it here – I don’t know for how many times I’ve said it already, but it needs, apparently, to be repeated – that does not mean that we are apolitical, that we behave as if we would live on an island of the Saints, and that we would not acknowledge that also our actions have a political impact, and should have a political impact.
“Because otherwise, again, we would not be relevant. But, and that’s the difference, we have to be politically neutral. That means, for you as an NOC, whoever is in government, always realize that tomorrow they can be in opposition. And the ones who are in opposition can be in government tomorrow.
“And that they have, by nature, different interests than we have and must have in sport. So, keep your neutrality, work closely with them, as long and as much they respect your autonomy. But draw the line when you feel they want to take you over and they want to absorb you into their political field.
“And what is true on a national level is also true in an international level. This is why the IOC Executive Board just last week, together with [IOC Vice President] John Coates [AUS] and [ONOC President] Robin Mitchell [FIJ], we passed a declaration against the politicalization of sport, which is about the international level, where we can see such kind of efforts by or the other governments trying to start organizing purely politically-motivated games and sports events without any respect for our values and for our rules.”
Observed: So we can say that, as of 25 March 2024, any further discussion of sport being separate from politics must be dismissed. Bach has worked tirelessly – and to the distress of many observers – to further embed the IOC in United Nations projects, which he also spoke to during his ONOC address.
By following this path, Bach believes that it is better, in today’s ultra-connected world, to be engaged than apart. So far, he is pulling it off, but it is an open question how well any concept of comity amidst a deeply divided and increasingly hostile world can survive, let alone thrive, now, or for his successor.
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IOC President Bach, now in his 12th year at the helm of the Olympic Movement, also spoke passionately and in deep detail about staying current and getting ahead of the digital future, and promised a new initiative from the IOC:
“I would like to encourage you to stay ahead of the curve in particular with regard to the one topic that will determine the future of our lives, of our personal lives, that will determine the future of our societies, and which will also determine the future of sport and this is digitalization.
“The ever-accelerating development of digitalization will, within a couple of years, change our world. And this, when it comes to sport, true, in particular with regard to two work streams.
“The one is with regard to eSports and eGames, where we cannot ignore that about three billion people on this planet are familiar with these games, and are not necessarily familiar any more in the young age with sport and physical activity. Therefore, we have to look into this area. We cannot ignore it; if we just ignore it, we will lose with we have, with hard work, got back in the last couple of years and what we can see from the numbers and figures in [social-media] followership for games and for sports [by] the young generation. …
“We have gained them back. But we will not maintain it, again, if we do not change, if we do not address their areas of society, if we do not address their lifestyle, if we do not address their interests, and there, eSports and eGames is a very important factor. This is why I’ve asked, there at the latest IOC Session in Mumbai last November our Esports Comission to study the establishment of Olympic Esports Games, where we want to make an effort in this respect, while, of course, always respecting our values, our values of nonviolence, of non-discrimination, of respect and tolerance. These will not be given up, but we have to go, we have to approach this community, to win them over for us, and to keep them interested in us.
“And the other, even more overwhelming development is artificial intelligence, which has the potential to start to change sports in every respect, from the training of the athletes to judging and refereeing and the fight against doping, to the experience of spectators, be [it] live – where it will be more immersive – be [it] on the screen, where everybody can be there own director in the future and has not to rely on the directors of the broadcasts and so on.
“There is a huge potential, related also with an imminent risk, like every new technology has risks, which have to be addressed, but there again, sport is different. Not from all other areas of society, but from most of the other areas of society, because there they discuss whether AI will take over their areas. Whether AI will take over human beings, whether AI will replace human beings, and there, for not being alleged of something, let’s take our profession, John [Coates, IOC Vice President], we remember that once we have been lawyers, where many people are saying in 10 years you don’t need lawyers any more, maybe already in five years.
“This is different in sport. The 100 meters will always have to be run by an athlete. They will be run by a robot, it’s not sport any more.
“So in sports, this principal question is answered: there in sports, AI can help, can assist, can support, but cannot replace the athlete.
“And it can help all of us organize sport in a more efficient, in a more sustainable, in a better way.
“There, you will see next month [in April], already in a couple of weeks – mid of next month – an initiative of the IOC where we will present such a project which brings together a vision of artificial intelligence in sport, and I can only encourage you maybe at your conference preceding your general assembly next year, maybe to dedicate to this topic of AI, in follow-up and implementation of this vision of AI in sport because, again, this will be the main challenge, and, you know me, I’m not so much worried about challenges. I always like to look at the bright side of life, to look at the opportunities AI is offering for us and to do it at the right time, again, before others are taking us over in this respect.”
~ Rich Perelman
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