How watching the Olympics and Paralympics can help break down stereotypes

| August 17, 2012

The Olympics Games have had their fair share of racial tension in the past but today’s games are billed as promoting cultural exchange and diversity. Paul Oliver says they have the power to make us reconsider our stereotypes or prejudices.

The Olympics and Paralympics provide important lessons to us all which reach far beyond the sporting sphere. The events bring together athletes from more counties than those that make up the United Nations, immerse them in a cauldron of intense physical and mental competition, which is heightened by fierce rivalries and underpinned by passionate nationalistic pride – and despite this, it still works; they all seem to get along.

A world-wide audience watches, absorbs and realizes that it is possible for people from a myriad of races, ethnicities, religions, cultures, genders, sexualities, ages and abilities to come together and produce the best of human performance and spirit.

We witness courage, dignity, elation, despair and relief; character traits and emotions that are universal, which we can understand and relate to because they make us human.

In the immortal words of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”. From observing and learning about the different athletes and their trials and tribulations on the way to London 2012, we begin to understand them and their journey a little. A walk in their spikes, so to speak.

Nineteenth Century social commentator William Hazlitt wrote: “Prejudice is the child of ignorance”. Nothing much has changed – the small steps of understanding we take away from these Games can help to reduce our ignorance and hopefully assist us to overcome prejudices and stereotypes we may have.

And the reality is we’re all burdened with prejudice; against the rich or the poor, the young or the old, the fit or the obese. You name it – religion, race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity – people have prejudices. As the saying goes “It’s natural to develop prejudices, it’s noble to rise above them”.

Just think of some of the people and stories that this Olympics has thrown forward to make us reconsider our stereotypes or prejudices. How could you not challenge your preconceptions of people with a disability after watching the efforts of the inspirational ‘Blade runner’, South African Oscar Pistorius, one of the few disabled athletes to compete at an Olympic Games? 

The Paralympics are also sure to challenge the way we think about disability. Take a look at some eye-opening new videos: one featuring Australian Paralympic swimmer Matthew Cowdrey by Play by the Rules (an Australian initiative to promote safe, fair and inclusive sport); and the other by BBC 4 to promote the Paralympics called ‘Meet the Superhumans’ – as it says: ‘forget everything you thought you knew about strength’ and you’ll see ‘a world with no barriers’.

The Olympic Games also demonstrate the best of what women can achieve if given the chance. Women now compete in every sport at the Olympics and every country sent a female to these Games – a remarkable change from the Atlanta Games in 1996, when 26 nations did not include any female athletes in their delegations. In London, our own Naomi Fischer-Rasmussen had the honour of becoming the first Aussie woman to compete in boxing at an Olympic Games.

Muslim countries Brunei, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who have previously only sent men to Olympics, included female athletes for London 2012. Who could forget the generous ovation from the crowd at the Olympic stadium as Saudi Arabia’s first female track and field athlete representative, Sarah Attar, ran down the straight in her white hijab, long-sleeved green top, black leggings and flouro green running shoes. Despite finishing last of the eight runners and over 43 seconds behind the heat winner, Attar was celebrated as a hero and said: “It is an historic moment. I hope it will make a difference”.

South African runner Caster Semenya ran in the same 800m event as Attar and was given the honour of carrying the flag for her nation at the opening ceremony. Hopefully her story will force people to challenge their perception of gender and how people identify themselves, and re-evaluate how to be fair and inclusive when some people don’t fit the mold.

Sport is supposedly based on the ethos of ‘play, competition and opportunities being fair and equal’, but we all know this isn’t the case. They may have made it to this Olympics, but many of the competitors there will have had to have overcome structural and institutional barriers, discrimination, exclusion and gross inequality of chance, choice and facilities throughout their careers. The reality is no playing field is equal. The fact that these competitors have still reached the top despite these barriers makes their achievements all the more worthy of everyone’s respect and understanding.
Time will tell whether our new found knowledge, and hopefully understanding, translates into greater progress towards breaking down barriers and reducing discrimination and inequality in sport (and wider society). As John Lennon’s anthem of hope ‘Imagine’ rang out to the world during the spectacular closing ceremony, the optimist in me dares to dream, the realist in me can only hope.

 

Paul Oliver has more than 20 years experience in the sport and human rights area, including as a sports journalist/editor, media advisor and Communications Director at the Australian Human Rights Commission. In 2006, Paul wrote the report ‘What’s the Score? A Survey of Cultural Diversity and Racism in Australian Sport’. Paul is currently the National Manager of Play by the Rules and is also undertaking PhD research through Curtin University into the power of sport to break down cultural barriers and build social bridges.

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