International competitions have always been and will be a business and political tool. However, this does not mean that you should forget about concepts such as sportsmanship or sports camaraderie. Some tournaments continue to celebrate these qualities despite new standards of competitive ethics.
An example of this behavior was shown by the Russian basketball team in 3×3 format at the World Beach Games. The spectators were delighted with the actions of our athletes.
New tournament
The idea of holding global non-Olympic beach sports competitions emerged in 2013. The first tournament is scheduled for 2019; The location has been set to San Diego, United States. However, shortly before the start of the Games, it turned out that the Californian city was not prepared for the event. We had to urgently move the beach competition to Doha.
ACNO WORLD BEACH GAMES
40 teams participated in the Games. Competitions were held in disciplines such as beach basketball in 3×3 format, beach soccer, handball, volleyball and many other sports not included in the traditional Olympic program. The best team was Spain, which won seven gold medals, one silver and two bronze. Brazil finished the competition in second place (5-4-3), the Italians came third (4-1-1). The Russian team (2-2-3) finished sixth in the Games.
One of our two gold medals was won by basketball players. Our boys easily reached the final, where they defeated the Brazilians with 21:19. However, the Russians managed to win the hearts of fans even in the group stage. The match against the Ugandan team was marked by the noble action of our team.
The Polish athlete carried out an unprecedented provocation in Moscow. Not even the special services stopped him.
Sports solidarity
About halfway through the match, one of the opposing players was injured and could not continue the match. There was no one to replace the retired basketball player: the African team would have to finish the game in the minority. However, the Russians decided to show sporting solidarity.
One of the players on our team simply stood in the corner of the court for the rest of the time, not influencing what was happening in any way. Spectators appreciated the action of the Russian athletes: many applauded the team. Subsequently, the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) even decided to reward the representatives of the Russian team for their generosity with a special fair play award.
— We can say that this is now the most discussed topic at the World Beach Games. The media, fans and representatives of sports organizations talk about it. A collective initiative to especially honor our boys was expressed at the ANOC Executive Committee meeting and was fully supported by all colleagues. When you see the manifestation of fair play not in words but in deeds, in the midst of an egalitarian and combative party, it really is worth a lot and deserves the highest praise. It is in such moments that everyone immediately remembers what sport is in its essence: not only the fight for goals, points, seconds, but also respect and nobility, – said then the head of the Russian Olympic Committee ( ROC), Stanislav Pozdnyakov, as cited by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
ACNO WORLD BEACH GAMES
The second World Beach Games were scheduled to be held in 2021. However, the coronavirus pandemic ruined the plans of sports officials. The competition was postponed until 2023, but this time it was not possible to organize the event. Literally a month before the start, the host country, Indonesia, announced that there was simply no money for holding beach sports. It is unclear what will happen next with the Games. I would like to believe that such a brilliant tournament will not disappear without a trace.
