It's child's play
By Lee Chong Wei KUALA LUMPUR, 3 January 2010 - In sport, so much is said about your opponents. You are endlessly compared to them, asked about your chances playing against them, and you start to think of them as your enemies. But they're not. Sport should be about respecting the person playing opposite you. Win or lose, he or she is your friend on the court and someone whom you can learn from. Even after the game ends, your friendship remains. There are those who play sport to humiliate or hurt the other person at every opportunity. That's not sport. Sport should be a platform for people to celebrate each other's skills and strengths, and send out inspiring messages about fair play and justice. Children teaching adults Sport should be about playing. Sometimes, I think that children can teach adults a thing or two about playing together. Children don't look at differences when they play. It doesn’t matter what background their friends come from, what languages they speak or whether they have disabilities ...children will remain blind to these differences unless they witness prejudice and learn discrimination in their lives. Children know how to win and lose honourably. They will stop to help a friend who has fallen down. They will celebrate together at the end, no matter who reaches there first. For them, it's only fun that matters. It is fun that makes play a serious business for the United Nations Children's Fund. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that every child has a right to play and those responsible for the care of children must provide opportunities for a child to play. Playing helps a child to develop. Through sports, recreation and games of any sort, children are able to grow and learn new skills, develop their minds and emotions, express themselves and gain confidence in life. Playing together, living together Through the universal language of sport and play, children learn to accept each other and rise above their differences. On the field, discrimination and racism does not make you a hero – it leaves you standing apart from the team. Sport is the place for children to learn that violence is not the answer to their problems. Kick a ball, if you must, or smash a shuttle as hard as you want. But you learn not to lift a hand to another person, or you'll be watching the game from the sidelines. Sport and play also give children role models. Their coaches, managers, fellow teammates, opponents, referees and umpires are all people who have the power to inspire. They have to lead by example, because young eyes and ears are tuned in to their every move, on and off the court. For me, there's no better place to respect a child's rights than on the field, court or playground. If we can learn to play together, I am certain that we can learn to live together. Lee Chong Wei is UNICEF National Ambassador, Malaysia since 2009. This article is translated from Mandarin. It was published in Malaysia's China Press and the New Sunday Times on 3 January 2010.
National Ambassador  Sport for Development  Publication: Sport  Newsline: Sport 3 January 2010: 17 July 2009: 4 March 2008: 6 May 2006: Celebrating 20 years of children's rights  CRC@20 Child Rights Official Site  |
