The need of an Olympic Charter for a sport’s ethic

Abstract

A sports ethic has its roots in the spirit of play and celebration. The pleasure of playing is an attitude of mind founded on ethical principles that aims first of all to promote respect for the opponent considered as a playing partner. Having a sporting spirit is not only trying to be a good player, but also a good player respectful of the rules, of the opponent, of the referees, while being modest in victory and without rancor in defeat. From an individual point of view, self-control is to be acquired. Self-control is about knowing your limits and your strengths. Sport must above all be a celebration. It serves to develop sociability, in particular a team spirit, made of solidarity on and off the field.

It is in this context that the sportsman emerges, the one who puts the rule before victory and extreme commitment. It is an ideal where socialization precedes war. Sports practice then allows a sportsman to release his impulses while controlling them. The sportsman becomes the actor and the author of a pacification of believes and values. The main objective of sports education is not to develop a perfect body but to moralize the wild dimensions of the body. Sport is therefore not an excessive expression of the wild dimensions of the body; it is a space of freedom and morality in which the civilized body of a person is revealed.