Pure sport is central to our ethos; free of corruption, accessible to all and firmly grounded in the best traditions of sportsmanship.
Sport should be fun. It should lift us up and inspire.
Too often sport is presented as constantly striving for something bigger, stronger and faster. That’s all well and good, and of course striving to be better is something to be encouraged, but not at the expense of the contest and the people involved.
I sat enthralled watching Sergio Garcia, a Spaniard, and Justin Rose, an Englishman, battle hole for hole and shot for shot in the recent golf US Masters. Friends, teammates for Europe in the Ryder Cup yet here, on one of the worlds greatest sporting stages, adversaries.
What we witnessed was pure sport.
To watch them smile and enjoy the play of each other. To see them acknowledge a great shot by their rival and embrace after the final putt, one in complete ecstasy and one in consolation, was to witness sport at its most pure.
Inspirational, Respectful, Inclusive, Pure.
– Shaun Martyn