Example sport

Sport is freely practiced according to commonly accepted rules—an ideal of rule-based communal activity that is enjoyable for participants, promotes fitness, and, especially as a competitive sport, is highly attractive. Accordingly, authoritarian power systems have always sought to exploit sport for their own ends. This, however, presents them with a fundamental dilemma, since sport itself is strictly rule-based and thus contradicts authoritarian power-based thinking.

However, an analytical distinction must be made between sport, sports policy, and general politics. Even if sports policy, such as the awarding of Olympic Games or World Championships, is corrupt or driven by authoritarian power, this does not necessarily distort sport itself. Furthermore, in a world where power structures play a major role, sports policy is often difficult to conduct according to fair (constitutional) procedures. Political analysis must therefore differentiate between sport itself, sports policy (which should be as fair and democratic as possible), and general politics – an ethical approach as opposed to moralism.

Sport itself, which has now spread worldwide, represents a fundamental counterforce to power-based thinking and behavior. Even sports policy, following the example of the ancient Greek Olympics, has repeatedly succeeded in sanctioning actors who engage in aggressive wars.