For Daniel Vailleau, sport is political by nature

French professor and sport expert Daniel Vailleau considers it futile to try to separate sport and politics. "Recent events in Tibet provoked a telescoping effect, something that reoccurs from time to time in history between sport and geopolitics. What does sport have to do with politics? This recurring, hackneyed debate between those who affirm and those who deny the connection, is resurging... . This question is not only something that comes up ever four years when the Olympics and the World Cups adventure beyond the borders of democratic countries. It is permanent, crucial, but it is never really taken on and debated. ... An athlete who uses his fame to help young people in difficulty is committing a political act and illustrates his social function. For athletes, to deny the political dimension of sport and its extensions is simply refusing to assume their responsibilities as a citizen."

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