1. I believe that sporting events contribute to unifying a nation because sport is known to the world as a universal language. Sport breaks down the barrios of race, religion and background and brings a diverse group together. Sport is not only for the athletes, it’s also for the spectators, coaches and sponsors as when a team wins not only the athletes celebrate. Sport encourages these diverse groups of people to share a common bound resulting in a unified nation.
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2.1 The trophy ceremony in the 1995 rugby world cup hosted by South Africa.
2.2 The 1995 rugby world cup was a year after the end of the apartheid. The battle wounds of the apartheid had not yet healed and whites and blacks still did not see eye to eye. The nation was looking at our leader Nelson Mandela; a man who broke down the barriers of race and discrimination as he wore the number 6 jersey – the captain of the rugby team – Francois Pienaar – a white Afrikaner. Due to the fact that each leader represented a different race it made it more powerful when the two embraced in a spontaneous gesture of racial reconciliation which melted hearts all around the world.
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2.1 The soccer world cup held in South Africa in 2010.
2.2 South Africa hosted one of the greatest soccer world cups in the history of football. Before the world cup, South Africa was separated by class systems. A wealthy individual from the safe streets of Sandton would never imagine talking a train in Soweto at 12 o`clock to get back home from the game. However South Africans did not think twice about safety as everyone came together during the world cup; there were no bitter thoughts, racism was defeated and the nation was unified. It was a team effort, not only from the players to prove the world wrong and show was South Africa had to offer.
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2.1 The 2012 Olympics held in London when Cameron Van Der Burgh won gold and broke the world record for 100 meters breast-stroke.
2.2 During the London Olympics in 2012 the South African swimming went with a very strong delegation. This resulted in South Africa being very hopeful and supportive towards the swimmers. The overwhelming support from South Africa encouraged our swimmers to succeed and in the case of Cameron Van Der Burgh he did South Africa very proud by bringing home the gold and a world record. This unified the country and we all had a sense of pride and this led to waving flags, banging and fireworks.
Doping In Sport
2.1 No. Sporting events are private events. Legally private institutions write up a contract that every athlete is demanded to sign in order to participate in the events. If the athlete signs this contract it means they fully agree to the terms set by the institution which in modern days states that they may drug test any and every athlete as they please in order to keep the athletic playing field equal. Drug testing is the only way that we can be assured of equal competition. If a person wins more races, or scores more goals, he is treated as a hero, but if he has been doping, then he should be exposed as this is a form of cheating.
2.2 Yes, more and more athletes are taking drugs in school as the competition increases, and as they look towards careers in sport. Doping is dangerous, their bodies are not fully developed, and the side effects of drugs can have consequences. Also, it detracts from fair competition. Drug testing is the only way to ensure that this is not happening. Legally children sign a code of conduct before entering their preferred school. This code of conduct includes the ability for the school to randomly select and test individuals as they please.
2.3 No, someone who succeeds at a particular sport should do so because of talent and training. The prize money that sportsmen receive is huge, and this should be earned fairly, trophies should be won fairly, and champions should be crowned fairly. Sporting success is based on hard work and natural talent. There is nothing natural or hard working about taking performance enhancing drugs to gain an advantage over competitors. This shows bad character traits and displays a cheating mentality.
2.4 Popularity, salaries, prize money, endurance and weight all play a role in why some sports are more prone to doping than others. Sports than require greater endurance, such as cycling, and sports that require larger size, such as rugby will be more prone to doping than other sports as size, speed and fitness come from long and hard hours of work and do not come naturally. Sports which are more popular put extra pressure on the athlete to be the best and the more popular the sport the higher the athletes are paid.
2.5 It completely destroys his/her credibility. For example, Lance Armstrong went from hero to zero in a matter of days when he was found guilty of doping. If also affected him financially because he is now banned from the sport, and has lost his endorsements and sponsorships. It affects the country, because, for example, Russia: a lot of the athletes have been banned from the Olympic Games and this has made a bad name for the Russians. If one of their athletes win a medal, they will be questioned as so many have doped.
The Sportsperson as a role model
a) Oscar Pistorius a Paralympic champion. A man who doesn`t have legs due to being born with fibular hemimelia (congenital absence of the fibula) in both legs. When he was 11 months old, his legs were amputated halfway between his knees and ankles. But yet he defied odds and become a champion, breaking records, winning gold medals and even competing in the abled Olympics in 2012. He was my role model. A man who overcame so much in his life, defying the odds and becoming a professional athlete that succeeded so much in his field.
b) I think that Oscar Pistorius will be remembered as a murder. I don’t think anybody doubts that he was a talented athlete, and that he trained hard, but after killing his girlfriend, and seeing one of the biggest cases televised. I think people will remember him has a murderer rather than an athlete. He may still have all his medals but his achievements are distant memories and people see him as a bad person, a cold killer and a lost hero.