I will not shake her hand;
Surely you understand?
My people, every day,
Will shake the hand of death.
Her kinsmen’s uncouth plan
Inflicts its pain and hurt
Across my native land,
Where bodies lie in dirt
Days after their last breath.
I was told I must play;
She is allowed to stand
And face me at the net.
It’s not her fault, and yet
I will not shake her hand.
I believe it's said that the gesture of handshaking originates in demonstrating that one is not carrying a weapon in one's hand.
Perhaps it's time to give it a try; the "real" enemy, after all is not the other person (in the game) but their "masters"?
Interesting, how in this "global" world, the perceived downside
of nationalism is allowed to manifest itself, courtesy of a
substitute sporting "conflict". The poem does justice to this anomaly. Politicians are quick to use sport as the acceptable
face of their activities - perhaps persuaded by the old Roman
belief in keeping the mob happy with "bread and circuses".
I’m not sure the Lions tour of South Africa in 1974 contributed much to the downfall of apartheid 16/17 years later, John.
But you’re right, Telboy. Those Ukraine girls really knock me out.
Thanks for pointing out this difficult problem Stephen.
Politicians of all shades getting on their hypocritical high horses is a widespread phenomenon, especially when it comes to apartheid regimes and warmongerers.
"Follow the money-big money" when trying to understand situations like this.
Get them back in the de facto USSR
They don't know how lucky they are
Should ordinary Russian people be affected? Yes, after all they voted in Putin. But if we allow Russian tennis players to play in tournaments why don't we allow Russian tourists to go to Spain etc?
Great take on the situation. Sport can make powerful statements and for me having Russians play at a global event like Wimbledon seems wrong.
South Africa hated not being part of international sport. Sure that played some part in ending apartheid. The sheer joy of the SA rugby world cup a year after the end of apartheid very much showed this.
Excellent, Stephen. Like Graham, I don’t know how I feel about politics and sport. I’m old enough to remember the Lions Tour of South Africa in ‘74, the boycotts of the Olympics by the African nations, the US and the Eastern bloc in 1976, 1980 and 1984. Did they achieve anything? Not really. On the other hand, am I happy with Britain taking part in the Olympics of 1936? Not really.
Agreed a wonderful change of serve Stephen. I must admit I am conflicted about politics and sport but of course all politicians have used it in their quest for popularity. A great shame! Well done as ever for scratching this horrendous scab!
Excellent poem, Steve. Coming at Ukraine from a fresh angle. Dare I say it? An ace.
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Stephen Gospage
Fri 14th Jul 2023 07:10
Thanks for all your kind and interesting comments. My thanks to Greg, Graham, John C and John GE, Kevin, RG, Telboy, Uilleam and MC.
A lot to process here. Unfortunately (though not for her opponent), Elena Svitolina lost in the semi-final yesterday. Her refusal to shake hands with Russian or Belorussian players was principled response to the illegal invasion.
The sport and politics issue will always be a tricky one. Of course, it is perfectly reasonable to exclude Russian teams from sporting events, as they represent the state. In the same way, individuals who are close to the state and the government should also be banned.
However, I was initially uncomfortable with Wimbledon's ban on Russian players last year. After all, tennis is an individual sport and it is hard to expect players (none of whom, as far as I know, have close links to their government) who still have family in Russia to openly condemn the war. At the same time, at other tournaments which did allow their participation (e.g. The French Open), Russian victories were often accompanied by displays of flag-waving in the crowd. So I think Wimbledon (which was under pressure from the sport to re-admit Russians) has got it about right this year - banning such symbols and expecting the players to remain at least neutral in public.
Svitolina's approach of depriving Russian opponents of a handshake at the end of a match expresses the hurt felt by millions of Ukrainians. It is sad to see but I think she should be applauded for her stance. I hope my poem conveyed this.
I would agree that it is usually not helpful when politicians interfere in sport. The government's attempts to stop British athletes taking part in the 1980 Moscow Olympics backfired, to say the least. Boycotts are mostly unjustified and rarely achieve much (with the exception of the isolation of South Africa during apartheid), although staying away from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar would have been a good idea. But increasingly money talks in these situations.
I hope I have touched on the points that you all made. Thanks again.
And thank you for the likes Nigel, Steve, Hugh, Adam and Ruth.