On a weekend where atrocities in France conferred to us, the fragile fibres of mortality, Ger Gilroy co-ordinated a very special Saturday panel that reinforced the important role that sport plays in our lives.
Speaking live from Thomond Park, the panel began by addressing the decision to cancel all sporting events in France as a mark of respect to the victims. Everyone agreed that this was the correct decision with former Irish rugby captain Fiona Steed saying that 'you couldn't have people playing rugby 100 metres away from where people were killed.'
Award winning journalist Christy O'Connor added that in tragic times like this, sport becomes a therepeutic instrument for retaining some normality in our lives and referenced the story of French player Antoine Griezmann, whose sister survived the attack on the Bataclan concert hall.
Grâce à Dieu ma soeur a pu sortir du Bataclan. Toutes mes prières vont aux victimes et leurs familles. #ViveLaFrance
— Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) November 14, 2015
'After the chaos and catastrophe of last night, people really need some form of normality. It's all about perspective. Sport is what it is, but sport is the normality that we need right now.'
Similarly, Simon Lewis of the Irish Examiner stressed, that sport can ultimately protect us from getting overwhelmed by any situation.
'People are still in shock. I would imagine it would be very difficult for the players to do they're job but there comes a point where sporting events become so important for getting us back on track. It has a galvanising effect and can bring us back to an even keel.'
Fans sing the French national anthem as they evacuate Stade de France, earlier. pic.twitter.com/hd8Sm2vgQu
— TheSPORTbible (@TSBible) November 14, 2015
The conversation also featured a segment on respect in sport and how sport can be misused to corrupt others. Presenter Ger Gilroy mentioned the recent controversy in which the US military attempted to infiltrate American sports, with the intention of recruiting new troops by unethical means. Simon Lewis added that there are elements of sport that are heavily weighed with patriotism and 'can be used for the wrong purposes.'
In relation to the GAA, Christy O'Connor said that a coach once told him that 'some of the biggest lunatics in Ireland are those involved with U12 and U14 teams.' He went on to recall an incident from his playing days when he shook the hand of a referee at the end of a game while the rest of the team succumbed to their passions instead of accepting the defeat with dignity.
Fiona Steed, who now coaches underage Rugby squads, explained how she makes a dedicated effort to ensure every player gets equal time on the pitch and aims to create a relaxed environment for the children.
'I literally left my will to win parked in my car.'
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