Racism Has No Place in Sport

13 Racism Has No Place in Sport Have you heard the inspiring story about a runner who made history at the Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany in 1936? At this time, the world was on the verge of war. There was much hatred and fear. But athletics and sportsmanship proved that on the field, skin colour did not matter. Listen to what happened that day in Berlin. There were two outstanding athletes competing in the long jump. One was a German athlete, Lutz Long. The other was an African-American, Jesse Owens. A Nazi government was in power in Germany. Its leader, Adolph Hitler, wanted Lutz Long to defeat the American and prove that white people were better than the others. In his last jump, Jesse Owens defeated the German. Hitler left the podium before the medal ceremony.

The German athlete, Long, did not share his leader's prejudice. Although he lost to the American, the German went over to congratulate the winner. The two long jumpers walked off the field, arm in arm. There was no place in the hearts of either man for Hitler's racism. Jesse Owens went on to be the hero of the Berlin Games, winning four gold medals. Owens said he wasn't bothered by Hitler's actions. “ I didn't go to Berlin to shake hands with him anyway, " was his comment. In fact, Germany wasn't the only country in the world where people experienced racism. In another famous quote Owens said, “ I wasn't invited to shake hands with Hitler. But I wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the President either. " Sometimes, it takes two common people to join hands in the spirit of sport to teach the world about equality and fairness.