(Photo Run Against Dictatorship Facebook)
Earlier last month, activists in Bangkok organised the Run Against Dictatorship as a show of dissent against Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The event was runaway phenomenon with more than 13,000 runners, mainly youth turning up to voice their dissatisfaction over the political climate in Thailand. It was a peaceful event but had much stronger and deeper messaging.
Can sports be a tool for political change?
While sports organistions including the International Olympic Committee (IOC) crack on athletes using sports as a medium to fight injustice, there is no denying that sports can play a vital role in changing the political landscape.
The Olympic Charter warns sportsmen that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted”.
The likes of George Weah and Imran Khan did not take over the leadership purely on their political standings or capability. That they were leading sportsmen on their own right paved way for their popularity.
Weah is the only African to win the Ballon d’Or and played some of the top football clubs in the world including Monaco, Paris St Germain, AC Milan, Chelsea and Manchester City. He is now the president of Liberia.
Imran was the captain of the Pakistani cricket team and led the cricket crazy nation to the 1992 Cricket World Cup title. He is now the Prime Minister of the South Asian nation.
Sports while considered as unifying tool, is also a powerful political tool if wielded correctly.
When Malaysia hosted the SEA Games in 2017, no effort was spared to ensure that it created a feel good mood for Malaysians, as the nation was heading towards the general elections. But, alas it was just not enough for the then government to retain their power.
The Run in Thailand is seen as a clarion call from the younger generation for a more transparent and democratic rule instead of an authoritarian order.
So far the movement it had created had not been stymied or banned, something that cannot be discounted if it continues to grow.
Such show of dissent on the political power play is being engineered by the Thai youth to send out subtle message to the politicians that regular military coups and party dissolution cannot be a norm for long.
While the effectiveness of the Run Against Dictatorship remains to be seen, just how would similar events be tolerated by those in power in Malaysia?
The current political situation in Malaysia, with maneuvering by politicians to capture the government by backdoor tactics, is being roundly panned by a large cross-section of Malaysians.
For starters, unlike Thailand, such runs may not even get off with the various laws in place in conducting sporting activities.
Under the Sports Development Act, the Sports Commissioners approval is needed for such runs to be conducted and it is almost certain that any applications to conduct it would ever be approved.
In the USA, top athletes including the likes of LeBron James and Megan Rapinoe have openly chastised American president Donald Trump for his divisive politics.
Any such outspoken athletes in Malaysia and for the matter in most Asian counties, are non-existent. Athletes are constantly told that their only duty is to train and win medals and that they should not have any political views, unless it supported the existing power brokers.
The fear of being sidelined from competing or being denied financial aid to train has put a permanent gag on Malaysian sportsmen from speaking out on political issues.
Athletes who engage in political protest fear that such independence will probably end their sporting career.
But should sportsmen be denied the basic constitutional right to voice out their opinions on the political landscape?
Sports are political whether we like it or not, but the effort to keep sports and politics separate is still as strong as ever.
Athletes are role models and have a responsibility to speak out on inequality and discrimination as well as politics. Accusing outspoken athletes of being disrespectful to political leaders or politicising sports does not hold water.
Those who claim that politics has no place in sports are just stifling the growth of the athlete as a person. The athlete is not just another decorative piece, expected to entertain only on the arena, with no emotions outside of it.
An elite athlete, though his visibility can help make political changes while the lesser athletes also have the duty make their statements for a better future.
No athlete should end their sporting career to start taking a stand on politics. The 13,000 odd runners at the Run Against Dictatorship have shown that even a simple stand can help in the effort create a better future.
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