My English dictionary defines sport as “Any activity that uses physical exertion or skills competitively under a set of rules that is not based on aesthetics”. Cycling is one of the sporting activities that a lot of people overlook for one reason or the other. Sometimes people prefer to go to the gym, some prefer jogging, while a good population of people see football as the best of all sports.
I am not here to argue which of the sporting activities is popular but to highlight the fact that cycling has been ignored in so many countries as a sport making people see cycling as a means of transportation only or probably as a fun fare where people use bicycles to do aesthetic.
In my country, virtually everyone pays attention to football, including the government. Our national sports committee concentrates more on soccer leaving out other interesting and competitive sports. Since I was born, there has never been a cycling competition organized in my state or country. As a result, this cycling competition sounds strange to so many people.
We have so many young and vibrant people who are enthusiastic about cycling as an organized sport just like soccer but nobody is interested in it. We have participated in several international and regional game competitions, and even when other countries engage in cycling competitions, my country is less concerned about it. Until we see cycling beyond a means of transportation we cannot benefit from the gains that cycling has.
This article can not be complete without highlighting some importance of engaging in cycling as a sport
First of all, it's a unifying force: just as we believe that football unifies different ethnic groups together, cycling can help do that and even beyond. Cycling sports competitions will help them see each other as a brother and not a foe. Especially in my country which has over 300 ethnic nationalities, it will be a driving force that unites all and sundry. Moreover a country with good terrains and atmosphere, cycling competition will thrive.
Moreover, it will create a sense of responsibility and awareness of the importance of cycling. What happens in this case is that a lot of people have known football as a sport that helps in building the body and keeping people fit. This same knowledge does not apply to cycling. So many people believe that a bicycle is only a means of transportation which ought not to be so.
The gains in cycling as a sporting activity are enormous beyond what I mentioned above. People as well as the governments of some states should look into making cycling a sport instead of seeing it as a means of transportation only.
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