Idea of Progress : sport performances

Extract

[...] Idea of Progress We should start saying that progress is simply a positive evolution. This can be applied to all sorts of subjects but today I will be talking about sport performances because limits are pushed further. But can we consider this real progress? It is well-known that a country is partially great thanks to sport and to its successful athletes. Indeed, sport is closely related to progress because an athlete's goal is to always go further, do better. Even Queen Elizabeth explained sport was important because it brings people together and creates a sense of community. [...]

[...] But what is really progress in sport is that paralympics are more and more successful. We could see it in 2012, when the London Games received more money from sponsors than the regular games in Beijing 2008. Thanks to scientific progress, Oscar Pistorius, who lost his two legs, was the first athlete to participate in both Olympic and Paralympic competitions: this proved that handicapped sportspeople are strong too and must be proud of themselves and of their country. However, world sport has become very commercial because companies are ready to sponsor events and athletes with a lot of money. [...]

[...] They also suffer psychological pressure from their managers, who only care about how much money they can make. And when the children are less performant, their career ends. To sum up, sport as a personal goal is an example of progress, but it must not be confused with show-business. Maybe all athletes should be paid the same. It is really strange that sport means effort but that those who want to make money with it let the others work for them . [...]