Equal Opportunities and Sport Regulation in the Context of Conflicts, Crises, and Wars, Part 1 : The Effect of Geopolitical Changes on Sport and Specifically on Athletes

Túri Resperger, Viktória and Kapros, Anikó and Resperger, István Tibor (2026) Equal Opportunities and Sport Regulation in the Context of Conflicts, Crises, and Wars, Part 1 : The Effect of Geopolitical Changes on Sport and Specifically on Athletes. HADTUDOMÁNYI SZEMLE, 19 (1). pp. 21-46. ISSN 2676-9816

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Abstract

There is much historical evidence showing that politics and sport have gone hand in hand throughout the past. More recently, sport has had to cope with a myriad of prob-lems, including religious, political and economic interests and struggles, becoming a battleground for political interests. After the First World War, the political influence on sport was already visible, and the impact of decisions weighed heavily on athletes in particular. The Cold War and the ideological conflicts in the history of the post-World War II Olympics generated concrete actions and responses from politics and power. In this article, the authors analyse the events of the last two decades, highlighting the connections between military science and sport. They also present the application of the hard, medium and soft tools of hybrid warfare in sport through the lens of athletes’ equal opportunities. Furthermore, the study highlights the links between geopolitical events and sport, as well as the ad hoc nature of the decisions that accompany them. The article also notes that the impact of war on sports can be severe, damaging an ath-lete’s life and ruining a career carefully developed over time. The study concludes that ensuring security at Olympic events requires cooperation among the military, including special forces,law enforcement agencies, counterterrorism units, and civil and military national security services.

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