Sports and National Development

Sports has the power to renovate the life of persons. It fosters corporeal, emotional, affecting, and social well-being and enlargement. At the similar time sports play important role in cultures and communities in the region of the world. Sports has the influence for improving physical, education, humanitarian response, understanding and calm building, rehabilitation and integration of persons with disabilities, encouragement and social/policy change, attentiveness raising , education, and economic development. Sports are any competitive, physical activity which aim is to improve physical activity and skills, and provide amusement to oneself and others. Sports come from old French word meaning ―leisure‖. According to the oldest definition (1300) of sport –―sport can be defined as any activity that is amusing and entertaining for the human being.‖ Roget's defines the sports as an "activity engaged in for relaxation and amusement". Sports Accord (Association of different national and international federation) uses the following criteria, determining that sports should have an element of competition, not to be harmful to any creature, and should not to be depending on any luck element. They also recognize that sports can be first and foremost physical, mainly mind related, predominantly motorized , primarily co-ordination , or primarily animal-supported .Some games considered are non physical activity these are called mind supports. UNESCO‘s International Charter of Physical Education states that ―Access to physical education and sports should be assured and guaranteed for all human beings.‖ Sports for Development and Peace (2003) concluded that: ―well-designed sport-based initiatives are practical and cost-effective tools to achieve objectives in development and peace. Sports is a powerful vehicle that should be increasingly considered by the UN as complementary to existing activities.‖ Oloyede (1999) conducted research to determine the role of sports in the Universal Basic Education and found that sport has the following functions: -  Sport releases emotions, acts as a safety value and relieves aggressive tendencies.  Sport offers opportunities to be recognized and to express one‘s individual qualities.  Sport provides a means of control over people.  Sport serves as a means of socializing those individual who identify with it.  Sport results in social change, introduces new behavior patterns and changes the course of history.  Sports creates a communal spirit that brings people together in search of common goals. Guangjun (2010) tried to find out the association between sports and social harmony. Researcher found that sports play important role in social harmony. Researcher found positive interactive relationship between sports and harmonious society. Sports development has positive impact on the degree of social harmony. The harmonious degree in the people who have regular participation in sports is better than the harmony of the group who do not often participate in sports. building. Sports have been used as a political weapon to express dissatisfaction by boycotting the Olympic Games. If sports can be used to achieve political objectives, it is possible to use sports to achieve and promote peace initiatives at local, national and international levels (Akinsanmi & Oloyede, 2001). Sports play different role for nation building. Sports and Economic Development: Sports contribute in economic development by manufacture of sports goods, organizing sports activities in our nation, and other types of game instrument, which are made in our nation .Sports makes individual happy which help an individual to work fastly and effectively .Inactivity exacts high financial costs .For example the annual cost in Nigeria days of absence from work and loss of income due to premature death cannot be estimated. Increasing level of activities could significantly reduce the cost of nation (mike Boit, 2000). Sports and Peace building: Sports play unique role in peace building .Sport creates such type of cooperative environment that helps the people of different countries to share their views about their problems. The United Nations Task Force on Sport for Development and Peace affirmed this notion, concluding in its 2003 report that ―sport offers a cost-effective tool to meet many development and peace challenges, and help to achieve the Millennium Development Goal.‖ Inter American Development Bank (2001), Mr. Ogi (Swiss Present) and Director of UNICEF also pointed out the importance of sports in peace building. UN General Assembly (2003) declares 2005 ―International Year of Sports and Physical Education.‖It also encourages the government to use sports as peace building tool. Different sports ministers, federations, Olympic and Paralympics committees, schools and clubs at national and international level making their efforts for enhancing peace by doing sports activities. Sports can reduce conflicts and acts as a bridge in peace building for example a nonprofit organization in Washington DC has used basketball as tool for peace making between Catholic and Protestant children in South Africa. Role of Sports in Awareness Raising: When any sports tournament is organized at any place, media frequently pointed out that place and aware the people about that tournament. By the help of media sports persons can convey message to the public about different health issues and issues related to education. Different sensitive issues can be discussed by the help of sports person, like information about HIV/AIDS prevention, family planning, and health messages. Sports and Depression management and prevention: Depression is defined by sustained sadness with psychological, behavioral and physical positivity among person which helps them to deal with different problems effectively. Exercise can be proved as important equipment for professionals in reducing depression from patients. Sports and Mental health of Individuals: Sport play important role in improving the mental health of people. Researchers suggested that sport helps the person to stay calm, improve self control and help in gaining positivity. Sports proven extremely therapeutic in helping children overcome from trauma. UNICEF developed a kit of materials for children displaced by war and natural disasters. This allows children to participate in team sport, in a supportive and non competitive environment. Fostering Social Connection: Sports play important role in fostering connections between individuals of same nation and others nation. Sports strengthen social network of people and acts as a problem solver. When any sports tournament was organizes at any place, it creates such helping and positive environment that promote healthy communication between different types of people. Sports activities can help in conflict resolution .It provide a bridge like platform, which helps individuals to know each other and promote greater social inclusion. Sport can also be used to lessen the social stigma experienced by marginalized groups, such as people with disabilities, people with HIV and AIDS. Sports allow people to focus on what they have in common. This is an important step in enhancing these individuals‘ self-concept and emotional health. Sports and Team spirtis: Sport helps the persons in enhancing team spirits because sports have the power to motivate the person to build such type of environment in which they can work for success collectively. Sports increase the enthusiasm in persons. Sports offer many benefits like improvement in communication in the members of team which enhance team spirits among them. In a team, members of the team work for winning that sport activity in which they participate, for victory they have to work collectively; in such way sports help them to enhance team spirits among them. Sports Potential to Empower, Motivate, and Inspire: Sports play important role in the motivation of persons. Sports tell the individual that he can look for his abilities and reduce negativity from his minds. Sports help in promoting hope in the life of individuals. Sports help in promoting person‘s personal, social, moral and economic development. Sports and National Identity: United Nation report on the international years of sport and physical education (2005) highlights the benefits that sport can help in building the national identity. Sports help the persons to make positive image of the nation in international level. Sports help in reducing the bad

Sports as Communication provider: In modern world sports acts as a tool for mass communication. Because global sports events are organized in modern world, they spread a good and global massage to all the persons of world, games provide a platform for public education and social mobilization .National and International sports persons become celebrities, they can help in peace making between the nations of world. Sports and Health: Supports lead our life towards healthy life lifestyle that helps people to remain physically and actively fit and fine. Sports act as a tool for raising awareness about different disease. Because in many developing countries many health campaign were organized for athletes. Sports act a mental health improving tool because sports persons have to work well and for calm mind to achieve their goal. Sports make people motivated. Which help in making psychological well-being healthier? Sports reduce the risk of many diseases. According to health experts, physical activities which are done in sports reduce ten percent heart diseases. Sports reduce the risk of physical health problems as our bodies adapt to stress. Sports make our bones and organs healthier. Sports improve healthier weight, more energy and improved sleep.

Sports play unique and important role for nation and individual. Sports have many health benefits. It improves the quality of life of individuals. Because of sports many social problems can be resolved; it takes the nation towards peace building. Sports help in promoting national integrity. Because of the different functions of sports, government of any nation should promote sports activities in their nation. Sports helps in making the nation problems free and helps in taking the nation towards development.

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Department of Elementary Educatio, Haryana, Rohtak