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“I have a dream.” The verdict of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., delivered at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963, has become one of the most historic statements in world history. This is a dream of a peaceful world without racism.
When it comes to international understanding, peaceful coexistence and integration rather than division and hatred, many hopes are pinned on sports. Former Federal Councilor Adolphe Augie also once visited the Middle East as the UN Special Representative for Sports.
He meets with Yasser Arafat, Nobel Peace Prize winner and first president of the Palestinian Autonomous Territories. Football matches are organized between Israelis and Palestinians. Sports are supposed to break down walls and solve what politics, diplomacy and society cannot.
Sport should be multi-faceted, but not political
Sport is valuable as a unifying force at the grassroots level. But he is also repeatedly taken into custody, overwhelmed with expectations and hopes. Used as a projection surface for many interests. Sport should be multifaceted, but not political.
But the more it moves from the bottom to the top, the more political the sport becomes. There were Nazi propaganda games, there were terrorist attacks in Munich, there were boycotts, there were major events in totalitarian states, and now there is a gigantic sports cleanup going on in the Arabian Peninsula. With unlimited financial obligations.
And all this thanks to sports.
state of fear
Rising anti-Semitism in Europe as a result of the war in the Middle East is also having an impact on sports. The Maccabi Berlin sports club has ceased operations due to safety concerns. Alon Meyer, president of the German-Jewish sports association Maccabi, said something shocking at the ZDF sports studio a few weeks ago: “The situation of Jewish clubs is at its breaking point. An unbearable state of fear arises.”
Jeffrey Sachs, president of FC Hakoah, Switzerland’s largest Jewish football club, also weighed in in the latest issue of the Observer. “I wear a small pendant of Chai, a Hebrew hieroglyph, around my neck for the rest of my life. I am 31 years old. For the first time in my life, I wear this pendant with anxiety.” Hakoah Football Club was founded in 1922 because other clubs did not welcome Jewish players. During the Nazi era, Hakoah was the only Jewish club in Europe that continued to play.
Today, the club, which plays in the 5th League, has Jews, Muslims, Christians and atheists on the field.
Sachs says: “Despite the current situation, I hope that in 100 years our battle cry will still be heard on the field: A star in the heart, in Zyuri dehei, FC Hakoah!”
Sport has been and remains a beacon of hope. It’s good that the Swiss national team’s game against Israel can also take place on Wednesday. And do not become a victim of terror.
Because Martin Luther King’s dream is more relevant than ever.
Source: Blick
I am David Miller, a highly experienced news reporter and author for 24 Instant News. I specialize in opinion pieces and have written extensively on current events, politics, social issues, and more. My writing has been featured in major publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and BBC News. I strive to be fair-minded while also producing thought-provoking content that encourages readers to engage with the topics I discuss.
