FIFA World Cup and Winter Olympic Games have served as a means of peacemaking in the current year, both among people and the politically conflicted countries.
The current World Cup has brought together over a million visitors in Russia with the aim of watching the football games and supporting their favorite teams.
Despite the political tension between Russian and the US governments, the highest number of applications for Fan IDs, which are required with the ticket for each game, is for the Americans who have also formed the highest number of the travelers to Russia for the cup.
As the Russian Ministry of Communications and Mass Media announced in March, half of the requests for Fan IDs were filed from abroad and the top ten countries, where the applications were submitted are Russia, the US, China, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Germany, Brazil and Egypt.
As it seems, the public interest is at odds with the political issues going on between the US and Russian authorities.
Empathy for Morocco
Soon after the referee blew his whistle to finish the 1-0 win for Iran against Morocco on June 15, several photos of football fans from both countries in and out of the stadium went viral on social media, which showed them embracing each other and Iranians trying to empathize with Morocco fans.
The photos of fans in St Petersburg, where the game was held, swirled in the social media despite the fact that the two countries cut political ties amid accusations by the Morocco government against Iran in May.
Another subject which caught the eye of the social media was the humbleness and professional friendship of Team Melli players with their Moroccan counterparts.
Iranian midfielder Alireza Jahanbaksh and forward Reza Ghoochannejad both posted photos of Aziz Bouhaddouz, who scored a late own goal for the good of Iran, on their Instagram accounts to level up the spirit of the player.
“Keep your head up man, we are all professionals and making fouls, so no worries and stay positive,” Jahanbaksh wrote in an Instagram story.
“I don’t know you personally but in life, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Don’t let this own goal bring you down,” Ghoochannejad wrote on his Instagram feed. “We are all professional sportsmen and this is a part of football. I am so happy and proud of my team and my country, but wanted to wish you also all the best in your career.”
Temporary Relief
World Cup has also appeared as a temporary relief for some. In the quake-stricken area of Sarpol Zahab in Iran’s western province of Kermanshah, people celebrated the national team’s victory against the African team, similar to other parts of Iran, while they watched the match on portable screens on the back of cars.
The victory soothed their pain, for even a short period of time, from slow construction rate and the many problems they are still suffering eight months after the area was hit by a 7.3 magnitude quake. The jolt killed over 500 people and left thousands homeless.
Olympics Bind 2 Koreas
Sports also served as a door opener for the two Koreas to help end their 40 years of conflict at the 2018 South Korea Winter Olympics.
The May meeting between the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in was the first between the leaders of the peninsula after more than a decade.
Both sides agreed to have a joint ice hockey team and marched at the opening and closing ceremonies under the unified flag.
