Home
Agents of change
https://www.sportanddev.org/latest/news/agents-change
Share
 
The URL has been copied
https://www.sportanddev.org/latest/news/agents-change
Share
 
The URL has been copied
As a member of the Polish National Olympic Team Leszek Sibilski had the opportunity to see behind the Iron Curtain but also experienced life-changing tragedy. Reflecting on his experiences, he shares his thoughts on the role of athletes as political game changers.

This is a condensed version of a longer article.

What would you do if you were a young and restless teenage boy in communist Poland in the early 1970s? Join one of the communist youth organisations or serve as an altar boy?

There were not too many options for extracurricular activities fitting my temperament and boundless energy besides sports such as soccer, boxing, track and field, or cycling. At that time the Polish road cyclists were untouchable in May’s Peace Race. I opted for cycling with quick signs of a bright future. I came in third at the national youth games in a time trial with less than 12 months of training, and won the first track national title a year later with more to follow.

When competing against teams from capitalist states the expectation was that we were representing the victorious socialist system, but as teenagers we were not thinking about that at all. We were able to observe the differences of what was going on behind the Iron Curtain and share them with our peers and families. In fact, from a temporal perspective, I think we were agents of change by emulating the looks, fashion, and behaviour of young people from the West, and although we frequently travelled abroad, our passports were routinely deposited in the offices of the Ministry of Interior.

For many, sport is about stamina and muscles, but sport also teaches a lot of other skills and it can be a societal ice-breaker between varying cultures and political systems. For some, athletes appear super human and immune to human frailty and weaknesses. In reality, they are also very susceptible to social upheavals while competing. The tragic events of the 1972 Munich Olympics, and the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing are still vividly remembered by the global community of sport. For those of us who can still keep up the flame of the Olympic Spirit through our second life careers we should oblige ourselves to talk about the stories of real sport solidarity as sport can be a great life adventure. We, former athletes, should look after each other and nurture the ideals and values for young adepts of physical education and sport worldwide.

After many years of being away from sport, and while working in academia and development, I can clearly see the need to create ties of synergy between the field of physical education, sport, and development. Sport, when taken seriously, can be integrated into many branches of development. Sport is about humans coming together in celebration. I did not always see this connection as an athlete, but I see it now as a teacher, researcher and parent. Athletes are in many cases looked upon as reckless and selfish, but their best moments can have a powerful and long-lasting effect on spectators.

I believe that the athletes of the Soviet era in Central and Eastern Europe were active political game changers and pioneers of democracy and the free market. As long as athletes are aware or reminded that the most important day in their lives is going to be the day after their sports career ends, I strongly recommend participation in sport for all people everywhere.

 


[This article has been edited by the Operating Team]

Authors

Professor

Tags

Sport
Cycling
Themes

Related Articles

basketball net

Rights Organisations Call for End to French Basketball Hijab Ban

William Noyes
https://www.sportanddev.org/latest/news/rights-organisations-call-end-french-basketball-hijab-ban
 
The URL has been copied
conference attendees pose in front of a screen

Sport for Tomorrow Conference 2024: Event Report

sportanddev
https://www.sportanddev.org/latest/news/sport-tomorrow-conference-2024-event-report
 
The URL has been copied
Living Lab activities in the Czech Republic

Participatory approaches in sport for development: Experiences from around the world

Paul Hunt
https://www.sportanddev.org/latest/news/participatory-approaches-sport-development-experiences-around-world
 
The URL has been copied
Living Lab toolkit

Launch of the Living Lab toolkit: Insights from the Sport and Social Cohesion Lab project

Louis Moustakas
https://www.sportanddev.org/latest/news/launch-living-lab-toolkit-insights-sport-and-social-cohesion-lab-project
 
The URL has been copied