Lets Use the Olympics to Promote Tolerance and Tackle Racism

Sports fans across the world are excited as the Tokyo Olympics get going. While enjoying the events, we know the Games also have a significance that goes far beyond. If there is one wider issue to focus on, it should be to counter the online abuse of black athletes that we have seen in recent weeks.

It does feel odd that we are still having this discussion in the 21st Century. Racism in any form is abhorrent and should be condemned as a violation of basic human ethics.

We increasingly feel like one world and see heartening progress that we are all members of one human family. And a family with our common human origins here in East Africa.

Yet we cannot hide from the fact that racism remains too common, fed by a mixture of ignorance, intolerance and fear.

The Olympics gives us a chance to counter this discrimination and to celebrate the role of sport in promoting tolerance. Sport has helped so many people overcome the hurdles of racism, inequality and lack of social opportunity.

The ability of natural talent to overcome racial boundaries has long been celebrated. In the USA, perhaps most famously perhaps when Jackie Robinson became the first black player in Major League Baseball. ?Many athletes – from Jesse Owens to Pele to Tiger Woods to the Williams sisters and now Naomi Osaka – have become true role models, helping to promote tolerance and even spur broader social changes. ?

In modern Britain it is extraordinary leaders like Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka, Mo Farah and Lewis Hamilton who are fighting personal bigotry and racial prejudice.

From Kenya, the runners led the way – literally. Eliud Kipchoge continues to inspire people across the world reminding us rightly that “no human is limited”.

Individual talent is only part of the story.?Sport has the potential to bring together all kinds of people, particularly the young, and thus serves as a way of encouraging tolerance and understanding between different groups. As former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has noted “sport has long displayed an inspiring ability to overcome national, political, ethnic and cultural differences … It can be especially powerful in instilling in children and young people universal values such as respect and tolerance.”

The 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa provides a great example. President Mandela appeared in a Springbok jersey to greet the South African and New Zealand teams ahead of the final, encouraging all South Africans to support the team of the traditionally white-dominated sport.

This is not to gloss over the race problems sport more generally; they are well known. Many players continue to suffer torrents of abuse because of their skin colour. Fans have been killed and injured in racially motivated attacks. The online racist abuse is the latest affront.

It is also unwise to get carried away about its powers of reconciliation. Sport is limited in its ability to solve problems with deeper historical and societal roots. But nor should we underestimate sport’s extraordinary global reach, power and influence.

I had the privilege to work in Japan during the 2002 Football World Cup. ?2002 was the first time that a world cup had been co-hosted by two countries, Japan and Korea. This was the first time a World Cup has ever been dedicated to a humanitarian cause. The tournament was certainly a victory for tolerance and understanding. I know the Tokyo Olympics will be similarly inspiring.

The Olympic Truce is an ancient tradition calling for all hostilities to cease during the Olympic Games. This year it feels like we also need an online truce; an end to the abuse and racism. Many call for the major social media companies to do more.

History shows that sport has an extraordinary ability to promote tolerance and understanding. With an estimated audience of billions, we should not miss this Olympic opportunity.?