VIDEO: Sport is more than about who wins

While some of us may have spent most of April overindulging on Easter eggs, others have used this time to participate in the many sports events held in our northern suburbs.

In Kyalami, the annual Nissan Easter Festival draws competitors from around the country to compete in the 10-day show at Kyalami Equestrian Park. There are a host of classes in various disciplines, but undoubtedly one of the festival highlights is the final Adult 1.50m showjumping class, the Outdoor Grand Prix, which sees equestrian enthusiasts fill the stands to watch as the country’s best showjumpers go head-to-head.

At a school level, budding sports talents battle it out in the annual school sports festivals as parents, siblings and alumni watch with anticipation.

In the days following the long weekend, Joburgers were spotted burning off their Easter calories in the gym – according to The Economist in January last year, South Africa had the world’s highest fitness club revenue. Then we saw corporates taking time out of chasing deadlines to run the streets of Rosebank in the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge.

Saudi Arabia has the world's second highest fitness club revenue ($620m)—only South Africa brings in more ($931m) pic.twitter.com/60hXujipkI

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) January 5, 2017

The recurring theme at all these sports events is that they unite Joburg north’s residents – which is fitting considering the world marked International Day of Sport and Peace on 6 April. It’s a day that was created by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2013.

As explained on the UN website, by bringing people together, sport can promote peace and tolerance.

In her message to mark the International Day of Sport and Peace, the director-general of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), Audrey Azoulay, explained ‘that sport relies upon the concepts of respect, understanding, integration and dialogue, and it contributes to the development and fulfilment of individuals regardless of age, gender, origins, beliefs and opinions’.

“That is why sport is a unique forum for action and reflection to transform our societies,” she is further quoted as saying.

Recognising the power of sport, some of the world’s top athletes have joined a campaign backed by the UN to promote the Sustainable Development Goals through the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020. These goals were developed by world leaders in 2015 in a bid to achieve a healthy planet by 2030.

Next time we pull on our takkies, we should remember that sport can do more than help us to build muscles; it can promote peace and development in our communities.

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