Love and hate in diplomacy or sport – 03/03/2023 – Marina Izidro

Oh, Brexit. The UK’s departure from the European Union may seem like a thing of the past, but it has generated so many problems that it always comes back to haunt us. This week, the topic returned to the headlines because an agreement between the British and the European bloc was announced to try to end a stalemate in trade between the two sides and protect relations between Northern Ireland – part of the United Kingdom – and the Republic of Ireland.

As the subject is complicated, I will spare the reader the details. But what also drew attention on the day was the exaggeratedly friendly treatment between the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as the climate has been bad since the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Not that the love-hate relationship between Britons and European neighbors is new. In politics or sport, it turns and moves they peck.

With nationalist slogans about regaining control of the country, Brexit ended the benefits of being part of this select club. For example, the free movement of people within the European Union. Before, Europeans could live and work in the UK without needing a permit, and vice versa. Since the divorce took effect, new residents require a visa. This affected the sport, leaving the process of hiring foreign players and coaches in English football more restricted and bureaucratic.

A few weeks ago, during yet another attempt to create the European Super League – a parallel tournament that would compete with the Champions–, part of the English sports press said that some European clubs insist on the idea because they want money and are jealous of the success of the Premier League.

One year and four months away from the Paris Olympics, French authorities are concerned about the preservation of their language and the excess of anglicisms. The French Academy, a kind of guardian of the language, created in 1635, criticized the fact that the Olympic candidacy slogan “Made for Sharing” had been announced to the world first in English, and compared it to an advertisement for pizza: “The official languages of the International Olympic Committee are French and English – in that order”.

And the government has set up a working group to translate technical terms used in sports that have recently entered the Olympic program into French, such as breaking, sport climbing, surfing and skateboarding. The idea is to help athletes and spectators to better understand the rules and, in addition, keep English as far away as possible.

In 2020, a press vehicle took the time to time an important speech by von der Leyen. The President of the European Commission, born in Belgium, spoke in French for 3:50 minutes, in German for less than 10 minutes and in English for 63 minutes! Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, was French. But sport, like diplomacy, is a globalized environment and English dominates communication between competitors and spectators.

Because I was born in a country that doesn’t have English as a native language, I understand the irritation of some French people when an American or British visit France and don’t even try to scratch a phrase in the local language, assuming that everyone has to understand and speak English . I also respect the fact that they try to preserve their language, and we’ll see how much they achieve. Coubertin certainly never dreamed that one day le breaking and le skateboarding would be Olympic sports in his hometown.

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