DR JK: The same here. Especially when Mauritius stands absolutely no chance.

MR H: I am quite optimistic. As in a few other disciplines, in football too the Mauritian team may meet with better fortunes in the future.

DR JK: That would be marvellous indeed. It would boost the morale of our players and of the whole country, in fact.

MR H: Yet, it may take us a lot of time before we start playing in the court of the great.

DR JK: No need to be disheartened. Everything comes to those who can wait.

MR H: Just waiting won’t do. Our boys and girls need a lot of practice too. And adequate support and means.

DR JK: Sometimes our players get discouraged.

MR H: That’s true. Especially when referees are not totally impartial.

DR JK: As it was suspected at the Beijing Olympics a few years ago.

MR H: There’s more than that. Losers are not tolerated.

DR JK: That’s most unfortunate. The philosophy of  “win-or- you’re nothing” does a lot of harm to our sports people.

MR H: That’s very unfair, especially when our boys and girls have done their best but have unfortunately lost in a sports event.

DR JK: They are made to feel they are no good and are rejected. They are in fact rejected by a lot of coaches and parents who are disappointed.

MR H: This negative attitude leads a number of sportspersons to have recourse to drugs and doping whenever they have to take part in an important event.

DR JK: They have to win by all means. Lance Armstrong has recently had to pay a very heavy price in that respect.

MR H: All his medals, his championships and decorations have been snatched from him.

DR JK: But we must admit that he proceeded in a wrong way in order to beat his adversaries.

MR H: Punters, bookies and other gambling organizers do promote match fixings and “buy” players in order to make them lose important matches.

DR JK: There’s also the growing violence among both players and spectators. This keeps many people away from sports events.

MR H: While you are at it, you can also talk about the scandals of recruiting.

DR JK: That’s another real problem. Quite often, those who deserve are not selected.

MR H: This is a reflection of what happens in other spheres of life too.

DR JK: We can say that sports can be very beautiful or very ugly and anything in between.

MR H: In order to make sports beautiful, there must be recognition by all concerned of the purpose of sports – that is, to teach and instill true values and proper attitudes in those who participate.

DR JK: That is a vital part of the educational process.

MR H: Yea. And if we lose sight of this fact, we open ourselves up for much trouble.

DR JK: Unfortunately, our educational institutions don’t attach much importance to the purpose of sports.

MR H: Sports do provide a ready-made environment for teaching real-life experience, which is part of the educational process.

DR JK: It’s quite good to provide students with adequate grounds, pitches and other amenities. But students must also be taught the values of sports.

MR H: Right you are. For sports, with their real-life environment, do provide for the development of endurance, perseverance, and a spirit of never giving up.

DR JK: Another true value to teach in sports is patience. There’s also fair play, team spirit, playing by the rules, winning and losing graciously, and playing to the best of your ability.