Unleashing The Inner Sportsman
"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part,
just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The
essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."
- Olympic Creed
by Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin
founder of the modern Olympic Games |
What is sport?
Anyone who has played it knows the thrill of victory, and the
bitterness of defeat. But it is what is gained from participation
– motivation, discipline, sportsmanship, teamwork, fair play,
self-esteem and prowess – that are the worthy lessons learned
and what sustains one through the adversities of life.
Together, these qualities form the basis of the ethos of sport.
Sports have been closely tied with culture, how a civilisation
perceives itself and the strength of a nation. The Greeks of
antiquity were perhaps the first to institutionalise sporting
events through the Olympic Games.
It is thus that HKU places such an emphasis on an all-round
education that includes student participation in sporting
activities to cultivate not only the mind but the body – because
a healthy body goes hand in hand with a healthy mind. |
