3+2 Essay Plan

Our stand: Yes, sports DO contribute to international understanding and harmony.
Social: International sporting events such as the Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games do contribute to international understanding and harmony as it brings competitors, officials and supporters of different backgrounds together. People will get the opportunity to interact with many people whom they will otherwise not get the chance to communicate with. (For)

Racial: Sporting events brings about many people from different races and religion together. This can help them build mutual respect and understanding for each other due to the exposure and interaction they have with each other. (For)

Moral: All sports encourage competitors to show good sportsmanship and etiquette and foster good relationships with other competitors. This in turn will help to bond people from different countries together and also help in promoting international harmony. One example is C Kunalan. During his long and illustrious career as one of the most successful track and field athlete in Singapore, he made many friends and formed long and lasting friendships with many other competitors from other countries.

Racial: However, some people might not be used to the exposure to the different races and cultures. Therefore, some people might behave insensitively and unknowingly offend certain religions or race. (Against)

Social: Sports can cause a lot of unnecessary tension and hostility between supporters from different teams. This can lead to fights between the supporters of rival teams. One example is at the December 2001 Champions League match between AS Roma and Liverpool in which four Liverpool fans were stabbed. (Against)