Since the beginning of time, sports has featured prominently in every civilisation. Its influence on man's physical as well as intellectual development cannot be lightly dismissed. By definition, it means any activity engaged in for health of entertainment purposes. Culture, on the other hand, refers to the beliefs, ideas and way of doing things unique to a particular group of people. What then, is the link between the two?

From evidence gleaned from the past, it seems that sports has been more of a manifestation than a determinant in the culture of a civilisation. Take the Romans for example. They were an aggressive and militaristic people. This was shown in their love for chariot racing. In this sport, horses were whipped viciously to spur them on and any competitor who fell would be heedlessly trampled on, to the delight of thousands of spectators. A truly dangerous sport, that can only be enjoyed by a similarly aggressive race.

Going further back, the Greeks presented a controversy. On one side was scholarly and artistic Athenians and on the other extreme, the militaristic and harsh Spartans. The practices and way of life of these two were as different as night and day. Yet, war between the two was willingly halted, temporarily, every time the Olympic Games came round. This unity, however brief, showed that despite their outward differences, the core beliefs and ideas forming the culture of the Greeks were similar--they love competition. This main trait was so strongly instilled in the Greek culture that it was manifested in the two extremes that were to form the basic purpose of their existence--war representing the violent, and sports representing the friendly aspects of competition.

Up till recent years, sports has been a spontaneous manifestation of the culture of a group of people or country. However, political, economic and social machinations have somewhat altered that.

Many modern sports are associated with a certain country. Mention Spain and inevitably, bull fighting will come to mind. Likewise, rugby and baseball are linked to New Zealand and America respectively, just as sumo wrestling and judo are with the Japanese. However, one interesting fact to note is that besides traditional sumo wrestling, baseball is the other favourite spectator sport of the Japanese. Herein lies the most blatant example of how, through political manoeuvres, sports has influenced the culture of another country. Japanese acceptance of this American sport and some other western practices has marked the beginning of their conversion from a conservative and backward race to one of the most brilliant achievers of the century. Today, baseball has almost become an inseparable part of Japanese's life.

One very important factor that needs to be brought to attention at this point is that some countries, especially Asian ones (with exception of China) do not have any really outstanding sport for which they are internationally acclaimed. Take Singapore for instance, it is far better recognised as the country with one of the best airports and 'cleanest' government and even its ban on chewing gum. However, bring up squash or Joscelyn Yeo (one of its most outstanding sportswomen) and the result will be disappointingly blank looks. Yet, it cannot be denied that despite the absence of a dominant sport, Singapore (and many other Asian countries) does have its own unique culture. Its multi-racial harmony is one such example. Perhaps sports only plays a determining role in the culture of a country if it has been in existence for a long time.

The role of sports has also extended beyond its traditional boundaries of mere entertainment to the political, economic and even social arena. The Olympic games, a legacy of the Greeks, has taken on a different and startling aspect--the economic aspect. Perceptive leaders of various countries saw the prestige and more importantly, the economic promise of hosting the four-yearly Olympic Games, leading to fierce competition among contenders for the honour. The promise of additional revenue and international recognition brought to successful hosts far surpasses any expected enjoyment of the event itself in being the cause for this competition. The same applies for the hosting of the World Cup.

The World Cup, another four-yearly soccer competition is the most popular and widely watched sporting competition. Originating from England, soccer (first known as football) is now recognised as THE world sport. Football culture is so deeply ingrained in the European's life that it has gradually influenced other cultures (even neutral Singapore) through inevitable economic contact. The presence of a recognised world sport is perhaps the manifested proof of an emerging global culture. A culture that shares a common language of communication, dress code, food and most importantly, common beliefs and knowledge. The world-wide love of soccer represents the last

It can therefore be concluded that sports is the determinant of a civilisation's culture only to a certain extent; when a particular sport had been in existence for such a long time that it has affected the way of life of the descendants of the originators. The other way where it determines the culture of a country is through political and economic machinations (like in Japan's case). However, in the face of an emerging global culture with common beliefs, ideas and knowledge, sports is truly only a mere manifestation of a civilisation's (the world's in this respect) culture.