The Indian government said what some of us already think – F1 is not a sport.
It turned down a request by an Indian Grand Prix promoter JPSK Sports to transfer US$36.5 million to Formula One Administration (FOA), according to a Reuters report.
The payment is apparently required to cement the 10-year hosting rights deal between JPSK Sports and the Bernie Ecclestone-run FOA.
“F1 is not purely sports. It is entertainment and this venture by JPSK is a commercial initiative,” an unnamed Indian ministry official said.
“The proposed F1 race does not satisfy conditions which focus on human endeavour for excelling in competition with others, keeping in view the whole sports movement from Olympics downwards.”
F1 has always been less about sport than tourism for Singapore.
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Hi guys and gals,
You might be interest to know that our gahment has officically recognise F1 a sport. The MCYS, ministry in-charge of Sports through its sporting council (the SSC) has called for a tender to built a permanent F1 race track in Changi. So no need to debate further. The gahment is always right…lol
Hahaha…we are going to get a F1 race track so that Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Micheal Schumacher (if he ever get over his neck pain) will have a permanent home here while all our budding sportsboys and sportsgirl continue to just dream about the never-ever-going-to-materialised Kallang Sports Hub.
chess has the potential to break sweat… when the atmosphere is so tense.. ur concentrating so hard….. *poof* sweat appears…. D:
Renuka, with you on the physical exertion point. Must at least have the potential to break sweat lah. Otherwise it’s just a game.
This is a funny little perennial debate, isn’t it? We discussed it in a class in Sociology of Sport, and a lot of what defines a sport is cultural. E.g. Sumo wrestling, Spanish bull-fighting, dance’sport’, ice-skating, synchro swimming, gymnastics, trampolining. And then what about chapteh and other kinds of traditional games played by societies all over the world?
My personal opinion is that some degree of physical exertion and objective measurability is necessary. But then I’ve to question why I readily accept synchro and gym as a sport but question dancesport. Could it just be social conditioning, having grown up with gym in the Olympics and with synchro being a CCA in school?
With regard to chess and F1 being hard, yes it’s hard, I would never survive being strapped into a boiling hot car and having to concentrate for the full race. But being hard does not make it a sport. Taking an exam is hard. I think shopping’s hard. No one would argue either of those are sports. But again, to each his own, and perhaps we can appreciate the spectacle (or ignore it) without worrying about its status as a sport or otherwise.
Someone used the same argument with respect to chess viz. you guys go try playing a full chess tournament…many hours…taxing…need stamina…need physical fitness.
http://redsports.sg/2008/03/07/chess-sport-inter-school-2008/
By those standards, taking exams, playing computer games and sudoku and crossword tournaments all qualify as sports. 🙂
F1 is a sport! you guys go try racing in a F1 car at full speed. I doubt you would be able to last for 1 lap! lol.