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Sport, Disability and the Olympics

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Sport, Disability and the Olympics Transmission Spring 2012 Sport, Disability and the Olympics An exploration of the status and prophetic role of the Special Olympic Movement in light of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Reflection on disability sport to date has primarily But there are voluminous amounts of evidence that focussed on issues surrounding embodiment, demonstrate that modern commercialised professional competitive classification, social exclusion, sport is plagued with moral and ethical issues. More biomechanical study of prostheses, governance and often than not, these are rooted in a prideful heart, media and cinematic representations of athletes with that seeks to ‘win-at-all-costs’, resulting in cheating, disabilities. Theological analysis has been virtually verbal and physical violence, alienation in relationships, non-existent. This is not surprising, considering that doping, political boycotts, financial greed and corruption, historically the world Church (the Catholic community self-exaltation and on the horizon genetic performance have arguably led the way in inclusion and provision enhancement technologies for athletes. for the disabled) has had a poor record in regard to the Nick It is therefore interesting to consider Paul’s paradoxical inclusion of those with physical or intellectual disability Watson ministry of ‘power through weakness’ (the self-emptying in ecclesiological praxis. In recent times though, there gospel of Christ), described in 2 Corinthians, and the self- Nick Watson is a are very positive signs of change.1 Senior Lecturer in exalting cultural setting of first-century Corinth. Is not Sport, Culture and My aim in this article is to provide some provisional this in many ways a mirror-image of the self-promoting, Religion at York St thoughts on how Christians may understand disability celebrity culture of today and twenty-first century sport? John University, a sport. In particular, I will focus on athletes with As theologian, Amos Yong notes, ‘Paul would be critical founder member of the Centre for intellectual disabilities and the Special Olympics, the of the values that prevail over the contemporary culture Sport, Spirituality movement that represents them, who I contend are an of sport. More precisely, when read across the Corinthian and Religion and incarnational prophetic message for the big-business letters, Paul’s model athlete is less the champion of the is part of a church world of professional sport.2 Isthmian games than today’s Special Olympian.’4 The leadership team. provocative image of a disabled wheelchair athlete on The Modern Sporting Institution: Setting the the front cover of Jonathon Lamb’s recent commentary Scene of 2 Corinthians, also further illustrates this link.5 In Consultant psychiatrists working in sport have noted relation, there is a consistent biblical mandate that also that thoughts of weakness, vulnerability and humility are permeates the classical writings of Thomas á Kempis, an ‘anathema’ to the modern able-bodied professional Oswald Chambers, Francois Fenelon, Andrew Murray athlete.3 I do not in any way denigrate the quest for and CS Lewis, which instructs us ‘to humble ourselves’ excellence in sport or any other human endeavour (e.g. Phil 2.1–11; 1 Pet 5.5–6), that is, we must choose (e.g. music, dancing, art, parenting, preaching, peeling to prefer others and not exalt ourselves in the quest for a potatoes, etc.), determined performances, disciplined worldly reputation or riches. Success, status and winning, training regimes and the emotional intensity that often while neutral concepts in themselves, when corrupted characterise modern sports participation and fandom. by humans for selfish ends, are values diametrically 14 15 Transmission Spring 2012 opposed to the gospel. As Oswald Chambers counsels, act as sources of existential meaning and identity for ‘our Lord’s teaching is always anti-self-realization … his many sports fans (i.e. a pseudo-religion). The enduring Notes purpose is to make a man exactly like himself’.6 To be forces of secularisation (1800–) on Western modern 1. J Swinton, B Brock, A sure, according to modern cultural standards of success, social history have left a spiritual void that sports Yong, J Hull, H Nouwen, S Hauerwas and J Vanier Jesus Christ was the greatest failure in human history, he now partially occupy. The aesthetic, communal, ritual, have all made insightful was ‘crucified in weakness’ (2 Cor 13.4), something that mythic, symbolic, heroic and transcendent features of contributions. was clearly prophesied by Isaiah (52.13–15; 53) in the modern sports provide new liturgies for participants and 2. Ideas and sections suffering servant discourse. fans, which substitute those of the Christian tradition. of this article are based Consider, for example, the ritual and communal upon two previous Arguing from this standpoint, radical Christian scholars, publications: NJ Watson, dimensions of the opening and closing ceremonies of the such as William Stringfellow and Jacques Ellul, and ‘Special Olympians as Olympic and Paralympic games. These evolved in-part, a “Prophetic Sign” to more recently the Old Testament theologian, Walter from the vision of the founder of the modern Olympics, the Modern Sporting Brueggemann, claim that many of the national, Babel’, in NJ Watson & A Baron de Coubertin, who regarded the philosophy of political and institutional structures of Western Parker (eds), Sports and Olympism as a ‘universal humanistic religion’ bathed in Christianity: Historical industrialised societies are to some degree driven by ritual and ceremony. This is something that theologian, and Contemporary the principalities and powers (e.g. Lk 8.29–33, Gal Perspectives (New York, Ashley Null, suggests is ‘completely antithetical to 4.3; Eph 1.21; 6.12; Col 1.15–16; 2.15). Conversely, Routledge, 2012); NJ Christian doctrine’8 and which has led to many of the Watson & A Parker, more liberal theological voices have often confused ethical quandaries that now permeates the sports realm, ‘Christianity, Disability (even supplanted) the meaning and spiritual reality and Sport: A Case Study not least the idolatrous worship of sporting icons. of the ‘principalities and powers’ with earthly forces/ of the Role of Long- Distance Running in the institutions themselves. There is a middle ground here This said, it is an extremely positive shift in cultural Life of a Father and a that John Stott communicates well: if ‘we become too norms, that a number of high-profile physically disabled Son who is Congenitally negative towards society and its structures … we find athletes have in recent times become celebrities, Blind and has Profound Intellectual Disabilities’, it hard to believe or say anything good about them, so thus providing positive role models for the disabled Practical Theology (under corrupt they do appear. Advocates of the new theory community. To my knowledge, however, there are and review). warn us against deifying structures; I want to warn them never have been, any Special Olympians who have 3. D Begel & RW Burton against demonizing them. Both are extremes to avoid.’7 attained ‘celebrity status’ in the orbits of Western (eds), Sport Psychiatry: Thus, I fiercely champion thepotential good of sport but media. This reflects a series of deeply entrenched (and Theory and Practice (New York: WW Norton and also argue the case that the institution of professional unconscious) societal values that marginalise and Company, 2000). commercialised sport is one edifice in the modern tower devalue those with intellectual disabilities. China’s 4. A Yong, ‘Running the of Babel. Herein lays the prophetic potential of athletes so-called ‘celebration of the Paralympics’ at the 2008 (Special) Race: New with intellectual disabilities and the movement that Beijing Olympiad, perhaps demonstrates a more (Pauline) Perspectives on represents them, the Special Olympics. conscious marginalisation, oppression and devaluing Disability and Theology of Sport’, Journal of Religion, of the disabled (e.g. sex-selective abortion and genetic Disability and Health. The Special Olympics: An Incarnational Prophetic foetal testing to identity abnormalities with the goal 5. J Lamb, Discovering 2 Sign? of abortion), which was largely a smoke-screen for their Corinthians (Leicester: continued emergence on the global stage. Indeed, Crossway Books, 1999). ‘God chose things the world considers foolish in order many Olympics scholars and human-rights organisations to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose 6. O Chambers, My (e.g. Amnesty International) seriously questioned the Utmost for His Highest, things that are powerless to shame those who are International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision (Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour, powerful. God chose things despised by the world, 1935, 2 September, ‘The to allow China to host the 2008 games, noting that Sacrament of Sacrifice’). things counted as nothing at all, and used them to the ‘moral authority’ of the IOC as a force for ‘global 7. J Stott, God’s New bring to nothing what the world considers important. peace’ (one aspect of the philosophy of Olympism) As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of Society: The Message was consequently diminished. Here is an example of of Ephesians (Leicester: God’ (1 Cor 1.27–29, NLT). where ‘strength and power’ (in making the decision in Inter-Varsity Press, 1980), p. 274. If we accept that sporting locales are frequently defence of human rights), rather than ‘weakness and 8. A Null, ‘Finding the characterised by values and behaviours that are vulnerability’, would have been the Christ-like response Right Place: Professional the antithesis to the Christian gospel, it is then from the IOC. Returning to the notion that the Special Sport as a Christian proposed that the weakness, vulnerability, openness Olympic movement has an incarnational prophetic Vocation’, in D Deardorff & J White (eds), The and humility that is often demonstrated in Special message for the big-business world of sport, I argue, Image of God in the 9 Olympians (and other types of disability sports) carries building on the framework of Wolf Wolensberger, the Human Body: Essays on an incarnational prophetic message.
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