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Sports as a tool to unite humanity

Leadership & Ethics | Published: | 3 min read


Sports as a tool to unite humanity  

Sports is a strong uniting force in the world. It is necessary to view sports as a game and not war; this sentiment ran high at the recently concluded 6th edition of the World Summit on Ethics & Leadership in Sports, held in Bengaluru, India, last week. The two-day conference was organized by the Brussels-based World Forum for Ethics in Business (WFEB). The theme was ‘United for Ethics in Sports’.

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October 14, 2022
Bengaluru, India

Sports is a strong uniting force in the world. It is necessary to view sports as a game and not war; this sentiment ran high at the recently concluded 6th edition of the World Summit on Ethics & Leadership in Sports, held in Bengaluru, India, last week. The two-day conference was organized by the Brussels-based World Forum for Ethics in Business (WFEB). The theme was ‘United for Ethics in Sports’.

There have been several instances in the past where lack of ethics in sports became a hot topic. The sports fraternity around the world has been grappling with several controversies every now and then. The sporting world has been facing critical issues such as corruption, doping, and human rights. The Summit not only addressed, debated, and discussed solutions to make the sports world better but also recognized and celebrated positive role models.

Several eminent personalities from the sporting world, including former Indian Minister for Sport and Justice, Kiren Rijiju, World Forum for Ethics in Business founder, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Members of the European and National Parliament, sports federations, former FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, and millions of viewers who joined online.

Sports is one field that not only unites people of all generations, languages, religions, and social standards, but it can also work as a peacemaker in the world. Today, sports can be the one thing that can bring people together. Now if this very important aspect of life is infested with unethical behavior, it is a matter of big concern.

At the Summit, the keynote speakers touched upon many factors and laid down an agenda to ensure fair and clean sport. Also, to keep the sport as a tool to unite people in the post-pandemic world. The importance of holding an event like the Summit was felt especially with the upcoming controversial FIFA World Cup.

Kiren Rijiju particularly pointed out the need for Indian players and India to look beyond cricket. He shared that there is a need to encourage more career opportunities for players such as coaches, managers, and sporting businesses, outside of cricket.
“India has a rich history and tradition of sports that goes back to ancient times. But over the years, the evolution of the society didn’t bring sports culture in the country to the extent we would desire,” he said.

The other keynote speakers included MEP Ryszard Czarnecki, Swiss MP Dr. Nik Gugger, Germany’s Leading Soccer Club Union Berlin Foundation’s Board Member Stefan Krauß, National Norwegian Handball Player Anja Hammersing-Edin, Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian racer to compete in Formula 1, Inge Andersen, Former Secretary General of the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Norway and Kalyan Chaubey, President of All India Football Federation and a former professional football player.

The Summit also awarded the Ethics in Sports Award 2022, a prize that recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations that uphold human values and ethics in the sports arena.

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