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How sports can help unify people

Sports can bring people together within societies, and across borders.

Sport has proved to be a unique unifying factor in an often divided world. It brings people together within societies, and across the border. While there are organized forums intended to unite people from different backgrounds, it is hard to think of a better factor than the cheers and noises coming from sports stadiums. 

One eye-catching incident happened in the 23rd edition of the Winter Olympics in South Korea, where long-term enemies North Korea and South Korea matched together to the applause of hundreds of millions of fans watching from different parts of the world. In what has been hailed as the biggest show of reconciliation, the two nations are set to enter a combined women’s hockey team.

Role of sport

Let’s face it, the world is already too fractured with endless conflicts among nations. Race and religion have played their part in dividing nations, but looking at sports events like UEFA Europa League fan news, there is only one language of peace for the sake of the sport. Even where there is little or nothing in common between different factions, sport has found a way of bringing these people together, and getting them to speak one language. Betting with Betway, for example, covers sporting events from all over the world.

Packed stadiums of supporters cheering their teams is evidence enough of how the love of football or any other sport surpasses political or geographical animosity and differences. It is believed that the popular Olympic Games were first aimed at reducing conflicts among warring parties. In what gave birth to the tradition of the Olympic Truce, the Oracle at Delphi came up with the idea of starting a peaceful sporting competition at a time when Greece was plagued by endless armed conflict. 

The idea was given to Iphitos, who was the King of Elis, and it is documented that he received massive backing from his fellow monarchs. The truce would allow for a peaceful end to all regional conflicts days before and after the Olympics, to facilitate safe travel of athletes and their families to and from the events. The Olympics Truce was re-adopted in 1994, and today it remains the ideal of the games, where a UN resolution is passed two years before each Olympics.

Modern day sport

Football happens to be the most popular sport in the world, even when different regions are associated with a variety of other sporting disciplines. The famous European leagues, for example, the English Premier League, Bundesliga in Germany, Ligue 1 in France, and the Italian Serie A attract fans from all over the world. This is largely due to the presence of hundreds of players from all over the world playing in these leagues, as well as the unconditional love of the sport regardless of who plays. Remember you can bet on all the action happening on all Europeans leagues on Betway on the website or on the app.

International tournaments organized at different levels, featuring a variety of sporting disciplines bring people together, albeit for the moment. In essence, getting people supporting one course and forgetting the differences that alienate them is one of the most effective ways of bringing universal peace.

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