Letter: ‘Ice hockey diplomacy’ would serve world well
To the editor:
The exchange of ping pong players between the United States and the People’s Republic of China in the 1970s, referred to then as Ping Pong Diplomacy, helped ease the tension between two hostile countries.
When people have an opportunity to share their passion for sports, good things can happen.
The garishly excessive Olympic Games have been hijacked by corporate interests; nevertheless, these media-driven extravaganzas allow people around the world to participate in their athletes’ quest for human excellence, but not often enough.
With all the turmoil in our world, Canadians are fortunate to have the luxury of being able to casually glance at the headlines of their newspaper before flipping to the sports section and reading about their favourite hockey players.
If our federal government could only find a way to engage the world-wide enthusiasm for recreational sports, then frustrated young men in global hot spots might be willing to trade in their AK-47s for hockey sticks and skates. Ice hockey diplomacy—it does sound rather cool, eh?