We’ve all heard the saying that sport and politics don’t mix. A quick little reminder of the 1968 Black Power salute, sporting embargoes on apartheid South Africa, bombings of the Sri Lankan cricket team bus and even the US-Soviet “ping-pong diplomacy,” and most of us will concede that sport and politics do in fact mix
But what about politics and sport? After Tony Abbott’s 14-hour ironman triumph on Sunday, Minister for Health Nicola Roxon had the nerve to suggest Abbott’s fitness regime was eroding his time for policy formation. Our health minister seems to be suggesting that a good politician is all work and no play.
She couldn’t be more wrong.
What Abbott achieved on Sunday by finishing that ironman is phenomenal. He swam 3.8km, biked 180km and ran 42.2km. For me, that demonstrates incredible guts, courage, determination, persistence, resilience, strength of character, strength of mind and … fitness! These qualities are exactly the qualities you look for in a strong leader, and transferable to the political domain.
Sport at all levels — not just ironman triathlons — teaches invaluable personal strengths. Through my years as an athlete, I can honestly say that I have good time management and I can work as a team. I can take criticism, and I learn fast. I can concentrate for extended periods of time, and I can apply myself to a task at hand. I can problem-solve under pressure, and I have mechanisms for dealing with adversity. Sure, all this helps row a boat fast, but it is also useful in the “real” world.
Roxon’s belief that taking the time to take part in sport is time lost on policy formation is misconceived. Keeping fit is not a waste of time. Studies show workplace productivity is on average 4% higher in workplaces that promote physical activity. Active employees are proven to take less sick days, and work more efficiently.
There is also irony in Roxon wanting to fix the hospital system — if a few more people got off their bums and followed Abbott’s lead, we would have much less demand for hospitals. Physical inactivity increases the risk of heart disease, type two diabetes, depression and high blood pressure. In fact, physical inactivity directly cost the Australian health care system $1.5 billion in 2006-07, and with recent surveys showing 21% of the population to be obese and 54% overweight, this cost is on the rise.
Sure, politics is a tough gig, but I want my representatives to get their priorities straight. Keeping fit should be a high priority, politician or not.
Indeed, with the ABS recording 72% of Australians to be sedentary or have low exercise levels, the more pollies setting the right example the better. Fortunately, we do have some shining light pollies.
Victorian Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu founded the yearly Pier to Perignon swim and, like Victorian government minister Peter Batchelor and former Victorian premier Steve Bracks, is a regular on the open water swimming circuit. He even challenged me to a “push-up challenge” one morning during his daily splash at Hawthorn pool — and won!
Then there’s ACT Senator Kate Lundy who can be spotted paddling her rowing boat around Lake Burley Griffin, and Victorian minister Tim Holding with his passion for bush walking all too dramatically brought into the public eye when he went missing on Mt Feathertop last year.
NSW Premier Kristina Kenneally rides her bike (albeit under security escort to navigate Sydney’s streets) to work, while federal member for Macarthur Pat Farmer ran a lazy 14,500km around Australia to celebrate our centenary of federation.
Farmer is not alone in elite sportspeople making the transition to politics. Dual Olympic gold medallist Sebastian Coe was a British conservative party parliamentarian, while the late cyclist Hubert Opperman also transitioned into the political sphere. Aerial skiier Kirstie Marshall, winner of more than 40 World Cup medals, is a Victorian member of parliament, as is Carlton legend Justin Madden. John Howard even went the other way, transferring from prime minister with a healthy power-walking habit, to International Cricket Council president-in-waiting.
Having fit and healthy politicians in the public eye is a step towards encouraging a healthier nation. We don’t all need to don budgy smugglers and complete an ironman triathlon, but politicians should prioritise, not ridicule, sport and fitness. Politics and sport must mix.
Kim Crow writes for Back Page Lead, a new sports opinion site at backpagelead.com.au.
Of course it is good for our politicians to be healthy and fit. It is a good goal.
But there is no guarantee that just because someone is healthy and fit, they will therefore make a good politician or a good leader. (I appreciate that the article did not come out and say that… but it nearly did… with the rave about clearer thinking and more productive….)
Our football heros and villans are all fit and healthy (even despite the abuse some of them do to their bodies too). They could run longer and do more push ups than any of our politicians. But would I want any of them to become politicians? Most of them… no way. There are prisoners in our jails who work in the gym all day. They would be some of the fittest people in the country. But would they make good politicians? (It depends, doesn’t it… on other things).
A fit body is good for everyone – of course that is true. But politicians need a lot of other qualities before physical fitness. One of America’s better Presidents was in a wheelchair, remember. Of course, the ideal is a combination of wisdom, a sense of justice, compassion, vision, leadership skills, working in a team skills, inclusiveness, understanding and tolerance, strength of character, and … sure… throw in physical fitness too …. so long as we don’t discriminate against those who have not got that!
I think we should leave Abbott alone now about his fitness and concentrate on Nicola Roxons hair, it looks like she should take more time in the morning getting ready and give it a good shampoo. She is focusing far to much on policy and neglecting her hair. Surely this is not a good thing for a Minister.
What bothers me a bit about this debate is that like so much of politics, critics polarise to the extremes. That is, you are not allowed to criticise no matter how much time is spent pounding the track or you are slob who does not care a hoot and does not give a fig about exercise. Predictably the views are aligned to a pre existing bias towards a party.
A balanced view would be more along the lines of everyone should find time to go out and get some exercise and we would like our PM to be reasonably fit although not necessarily an iron man.
Anyone who has at some point in their life taken up distance sports ie running, swimming or cycling knows that it is not the time in competition that counts its the time in training. For Tony to have been able to complete this event in a reasonable time he must have been spending more time than he is letting on pounding pavements. It is reasonable to ask where his priority’s have been over the last month or two. I expect it has been more on his image building and action man persona. Bit of an indulgence if you ask me.
I do not work in politics but have what I expect is a fairly normal work regime for most professionals now. Some long hours in the office, work to take home, respond to emails outside of work hours etc etc. I manage to get 2 or 3 sessions in during the week to go for a run or a swim then tennis on the weekend. Nothing special here but no way in the world could I take on a Iron Man event. I also shake my head at how you would find time to get the necessary training in.
There’s a big difference between being fit and being an endorphin junkie.
As we get older it is also easy to over exercise — which put undue strain on muscles, joints and makes us more prone to blood sugar swings. The old ‘moderation in all things’ rings true here, especially when you get to 50 and beyond.
excellent. Perhaps we can dispense with the current nonsense that politics shouldn’t come in to sport.