Carl Von Clausewitz’ book “On War” stated that “War is the continuation of policy by other means”. Success in war and in any military endeavor requires adherence to what he calls the “Trinity of War” which are the main elements to be considered and satisfied. The Trinity of War consists of: (1) United Government; (2) Support of the Citizenry/Populace; and (3) Strong and “well-oiled” Armed Forces.

In relation to Sports, I think there is also what it is called the “Trinity of Sports”. First is Government Support; Second is Population/Public Support & Interest; and Third is National Pool of Athletes (being represented by the different National Sports Federations). Absence of one of the elements would mean FAILURE in any of the competition event that the country would participate.

Government Support is a “must” if we want to excel in international competition like the SE Asian Games, Asian Games, and the Olympic Games. It is very self-explanatory as the government has the bulk of resources for the promotion of sports and support for the athletes.

Populatiom/Public Support & Interest is where the Corporate Sponsors would come in and the Media has a great contribution in creating awareness to the whole citizenry. Population is obviously the source of our athletes.

National Pool of Athletes is where good leadership is needed in the different Sports Federations in the country. Poor selection of athletes, “favoritism” and lack of sports development in the grassroots level will surely derail the quality of athletes we are sending in international competition. This is where proper training, equipment, international exposure, good coaching, nutrition, sports psychology, sports medicine and other sports advancement will come in.

If only we could adhere to these elements of the “Trinity of Sports”, we could easily excel in any sports discipline we would like to compete. But going back to the words of Carl Von Clausewitz, “the simple things are the hardest things to do”, these Trinity of Sports could be easily understood but doing something about them would take a gargantuan task for eveybody. However, I still believe that there is still hope for the country as long as we stick to the basics—discover more raw talents in the grassroot level through awareness and local sports competitions and “nurture” them to become world-class elite athletes!

Do you believe that “Sports is also a continuation of policy by other means”?

Another food for thought for the day. See you at the Starting Line!