Despite not bringing home the coveted Olympic medal from Paris, swimmer Sangay Tenzin and archer Lam Dorji are proud. They have represented Bhutan and shown athletes from other countries that they will have to face a new foe in the future—Bhutan.
At home, history was made as the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) hosted the five-nation beach volleyball tournament in Thimphu. This is the first time a beach volleyball tournament has been held at an altitude of over 2,300 meters.
With His Royal Highness Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck as the President of the Bhutan Olympic Committee (BoC), Bhutan is scaling new heights in sports. While winning medals is important, sports are vital for a country from several perspectives.
Historians trace the role of sports in reducing conflict back to the origins of the Olympic Games. In the ninth century BC, Iphitos, king of Elis, was advised by the Oracle at Delphi to initiate a peaceful sporting competition to end the armed conflict in Greece. Together with fellow monarchs, Iphitos established the Olympic Truce. This tradition mandated that all regional conflicts cease for seven days before and after the Games every four years, allowing athletes, their families, and spectators to travel in peace. Reintroduced at the modern games in 1994, the Olympic Truce remains a powerful ideal of the Olympic movement, bolstered by a related UN resolution passed every two years before each Olympics.
World leaders have continued to harness the unifying power of sports, reopen diplomatic dialogue, and make conciliatory international gestures, one of the most significant being China’s “ping-pong diplomacy.” In April 1971, the Chinese government invited US players to exhibition matches in China, marking the first time Americans were allowed entry since 1949. Less than a year later, President Nixon made a historic trip to China, ending 25 years of silence and diplomatic estrangement. This paved the way for the re-establishment of diplomatic ties in 1979, demonstrating how sports can foster peace.
Sports also serve as a means for nations to assert political independence and express a distinctive identity. They function as a diplomatic tool, allowing nations to represent themselves on the international stage and pursue diplomatic relations. Overall, sports play a crucial role in shaping a nation’s social structure, politics, and international standing.
Nonetheless, the ultimate objective of every sportsman and sports organization is to win. For this, athletes need support in terms of training, infrastructure, and monthly remuneration, especially if an athlete is giving everything to a game. Under the aegis of HRH Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck, we are witnessing a transformation in sports. It wont be long before our athletes get their share.
