Waaroor gaan goeie sportmanskap?

Goeie sportmanskap is  'n term wat mens baie hoor en waaroor daar gereeld gepraat word. Dit is ook ’n term is wat min mense heeltemal begryp. Om ‘n goeie sportman of –vrou te wees gaan nie oor hoe hard jy jouself fisies en geestelik kan druk nie of oor jou ongelooflike natuurlike talent nie.
Dit gaan oor iets meer as jou eie persoonlike prestasie, selfs meer as om die eer te hê om jou land by ‘n sportgeleentheid te verteenwoordig of om medaljes in te palm.
Dit gaan oor die vermoë om enige iemand met wie jy in aanraking kom te inspireer – self die mense teen wie jy kompeteer. Dit gaan oor om met eer en met ‘n goeie gesindheid op te tree selfs wanneer daar geweldige kompetisie druk op jou is.
Goeie sportmanskap beteken ook dat jy geregtigheid laat geskied, selfs al is dit ten koste van jou eie oorwinning.
Die meeste sportsoorte beklemtoon hoofsaaklik  fisiese en verstandelike ontwikkeling, maar wat van die persoon agter die sportman of –vrou? Wil ons hê dat ons land verteenwoordig moet word deur die atleet wat goud gewen het ten alle koste? Of is dit dalk die atleet wat die vinniger opponent met die gebreekte been oor die eindstreep gehelp het?
Wanneer is ‘n sportman of –vrou waarlik ‘n inspirasie? Wie gaan onthou word volgende jaar? Die atleet wat laas jaar bo die norm uit gestyg het met sy inspirerende gedrag of hierdie jaar se goue medalje wenner of sportkampioen?
'n Wyse wêreldkampioensportman het eendag gesê dat hy nooit enige wenke of metodes vir sy kompetisie wegsteek nie, want sy slag spreuk is “mag die beste man wen.”
Van die grootste rol modelle vandag  is sportsmanne en tog het hulle ‘n geneigdheid om selfsugtig op te tree.
Wat belangrik is om te onthou is dat daardie sportsmanne almal afrigters, ouers en ondersteuners gehad het wat almal die geleentheid gehad het om vir daardie betrokke sportman of –vrou te leer hoe om 'n goeie rolmodel te wees wat ander kan inspireer. As afrigters, ouers en ondersteuners so ‘n rol kan speel in die lewe van een sportman of –vrou kan hulle dan ‘n insperasie wees vir die volgende geslag en so kan ons ‘n reuse impak hê op ‘n hele generasie.
Goeie sportsmanskap kan ‘n nasie te verenig, nie deur blote vaardigheid of bekwaamheid nie, maar deur deursettingsvermoë en ‘n behoefte om te doen wat reg en eerbaar is.

What sports should be all about

Good sportsmanship is a term we hear often. It’s also a term most people don’t fully understand.
Being a good sportsman is not just about pushing your physical and mental abilities as hard as you can or having mind-blowing amounts of natural talent and being the best in what you do. It’s about more than your personal achievement or even having the honour of representing your country.
It is about being able to inspire anyone who comes into contact with you, including your rival sportsmen to reach for the impossible. It’s about having a sense of honor in the face of immense competition and pressure. It’s to be able to stand for what is right even at the cost of your own victory.
Sportsmanship encompasses these crucial mindsets.
Most sports emphasize and focus on physical and mental development only.
What about the person? Do we want our country to be represented by the athlete who won gold? Or by the athlete who helped the better runner with the broken leg across the finish line?
What is truly inspiring at the end of the day? Who will be remembered next year? The athlete who rose above the norm in the past by showing his integrity or the new champion?
A wise world champion once told me that he never withheld any tips or training from his competitors because his motto was “may the best man win”.
Some of the biggest role models in the world are sportsmen. And most of them are quite self-centered. What we need to remember is all of those sportsmen had a coach, parents, and supporters that had the opportunity to show and teach them how to be a role model that inspires people.
I believe if we strive to do just that we can by impacting one athlete’s life impact an entire generation.
Good sportsmanship, the ability to unite a nation, not by your skill and prowess as a sportsman. But by your grit and determination to do what is right no matter the cost.