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Neil Fraser
Fair Play is an Olympic Ideal |
That's not fair!
You've probably heard this phrase before, or maybe said it yourself. When someone does something against the rules, we think it's not fair. When we play, we want fair play.Fair play is an Olympic ideal
Sports are fun, challenging, demanding and rewarding. We improve our skills, learn to co-operate with teammates, and get a sense of accomplishment and pride in honest effort. Sports can teach us valuable lessons.Fair play is all about respect for rules, respect for your opponent, and respect for the officials and acceptance of their decisions. It's about giving everybody an equal chance to play and maintaining your self-control.
Promote Fair Play
Design a poster that encourages others to play fair and then display it around the school. Have your class make up a list of fair play codes that they think young people should follow. Put the codes up in your Olympic Corner. Value Statements of the Canadian Olympic Association
Sport is a powerful vehicle that can inspire, influence and teach us to be good players, both on and off the sports field. At the COA, we developed a set of value statements that will help us realize this potential. One principle is highlighted here-look for the others on the following pages! For a complete list of the value statements of the Canadian Olympic Association, please see the inside front cover.Real Athletes Don't Cheat
We all want to do well, win friends and be popular. We should all try to excel-wanting to win is a perfectly alright goal. But what if we want to win so badly, we'll do anything to do it, like cheating?In sport, doping is one way cheaters try to win. Doping is using drugs or other substances to improve athletic performance or physical appearance. Before the 1988 Games in Seoul, Ben Johnson took a steroid to improve his performance-he cheated, disappointed everyone, and was forced to give back his medal.
It is wrong to want to win so badly that you cheat. You don't need to cheat to do well. It's not the way to win, and it's not fair play.
Take the Athletes' Oath
As a class, read the Athletes' Oath out loud and then discuss it.
Olympic Athletes' Oath:In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams.
As a class, stand and take the Junior Olympics oath.
Junior Olympian Oath:
I promise to do my best in everything
I do, then try to do even better.
I promise to play fair and according to the rules.
I promise to respect the people I am playing with, including all opponents, and to remember that participating is more important than winning.
Sending the right message about sport
In recent years some serious sports issues have arisen. Doping is one major issue; others include violence, a win-at-all-costs attitude, failure to ensure safety and enjoyment in sports, and a lack of respect for officials and/or opponents. All of these issues are offences to the spirit of fair play and to the ideals of the Olympic Movement, and they cannot be condoned.Another serious issue is that the news media highlight violence, rough play and drug abuse. Particularly through the mass media, people have become very familiar with some of the negative aspects of sport. Unfortunately, only the negative message gets communicated at times, and the positive message is lost.
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