By Soo Kim
Published Dec 25, 2010
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II stressed the role of sports in promoting a spirit of community and harmony in her annual televised Christmas speech to the British public on December 25.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II stressed the role of sports in promoting a spirit of community and harmony in her annual televised Christmas speech to the British public on December 25.
Beginning with a reference to the historical new translation of the Bible authorized by King James VI of Scotland in 1604, the Queen described this landmark translating process as a "major cooperative endeavor that required the efforts of dozens of the days leading scholars."
Drawing a parallel to how sports can produce a similar sense of cooperation she said, "The whole enterprise was guided by the interest of reaching an agreement for the wider benefit of the Christian Church and to bring harmony to the kingdoms of England and Scotland.
The Queen highlighted the different benefits of sports activities demonstrated especially this past year through various sporting and sport-related events. She spoke of how sports brings people together from different backgrounds and can provide other new perspectives on life.She urged the continued importance of building harmony as it was four hundred years ago for the Christian Church and that "one of the most powerful ways of doing this is through sport and games."
These words were accompanied by images of Prince William playing sports with children at a village in Lesotho earlier this year during his visit to Africa with Prince Harry.
She noted the widely applicable benefit of social skills learned from working as a team. "This sort of positive team spirit can benefit communities, companies and enterprises of all kinds," she said.
The Queen praised the rehabilitative effects of sports as seen in the Paralympic Games this year and among injured members of the armed forces, noting how it can speed recovery, build camaraderie as well as a renewed purpose and joy in life.
She also mentioned the most recent Commonwealth Games as a shining example of the great sense of pride and honor gained from sports in representing your home country, calling it "a sense of belonging to a wider family."
Such spirits were seen at this year's Commonwealth Games, also known as the 'Friendly Games' according to the Queen, especially among competitors from smaller nations who tend to receive the loudest cheers from the crowds, she noted.
Lastly, the Queen referred back to King James and how he may not have known the big role sports could play in the future for building community.
"But from the Scriptures of the Bible which bears his name, we know nothing is more satisfying than the feeling of belonging to a group who are dedicated to helping each other," she said.
