How did the interest in ethics in sports come about? Could the fact that your life was linked to sports from an early age influenced this interest?
That’s what sparks the interest. In 2012, the year I stopped exercising, which happens to everyone, there comes a time when we need to know how to give up. I was invited to be an ambassador for the PNED/IPDJ, a government initiative.
As an ambassador of the PNED/IPDJ, how do you maintain an active role in defending ethics in defense and values in sport?
I have taken on this responsibility from the beginning, more than saying that I am an ambassador, I want to demonstrate the importance of this responsibility through actions and practices. I started doing awareness campaigns, at the same time I gave karate lessons. In the actions I have sought to bring together the ethical aspect, the discussion about values, the importance of a healthy sport practice and based on values that can help the development of young people and a Handover for civil society. Over time, after the actions and lessons, I started writing articles for newspapers and this has been my connection for the last few years. I have been taking on this challenge with great pride for 10 years now.
Why did you want to collect the texts you wrote for newspapers in a book – “Essays on Ethics in Sports”?
I realized it was important for my action to be multifactorial, I saw that within the sport, but I was only talking to sports agents and I realized I had to try other channels to talk about this topic. I remembered starting to write for local newspapers and had the opportunity to write for national newspapers. Some of these articles were even awarded. That gave me the idea to bring the texts together and make a book. So I have another channel to reach people with this theme of ethics and values in sports that is not exclusive to the sports section but can be read by everyone.
Should the question of ethics and values, regardless of modalities and levels, be addressed more? Do you think some controversies can speak louder than the question of ethics and values?
What I defend is that there is no sport without ethics. We know that sport is a place of passion, where we release tension and pressure from everyday life. Which can’t hurt. The problem lies in downplaying wrong actions. Behavior that we are all aware should be punished and directed towards corrective action. Let me give you an example: if I go out on the street and insult someone, if I have a discriminatory attitude based on race or gender, then that is punishable in civil society and a crime. The question I always ask is why sports are different. We cannot take this lightly and I think we all have a responsibility there.
What are the incidents that have happened recently in Portuguese football, such as that episode of the child who was forced to take off his Benfica shirt in the game with Famalicão…
I tend to see these situations in their origin and not the consequence everyone is talking about. I understand if the rules say that the youngster cannot go to a different stand than the other club with the t-shirt, but for me the problem is rather. But should there be such rules? The concept of sport that is obliged to have ethics and values is one of the obligations.
Do ethics still exist in sports?
Yes, I think so. Otherwise I wouldn’t be doing anything here. I believe that there are many valuable people in the sport and that things are getting better and better. We are going through a value crisis in civil society and sport is a reflection of society. We must have the ability to control emotions, maintain rationality and enable us to make the right decision, although that can be difficult at the moment.
For those who don’t know him, who is Jorge?
Jorge is a normal person. He is a father, a husband, he is a dreamer, he is someone who is always trying to achieve new goals. At the same time, like everyone else, I have my professional life. I am a lawyer, master in sports management. I was a top athlete for many years. I have a karate life. I also like that together with the PNED, the National Plan for Ethics in Sport, we provide training on ethics and values in sport throughout the country. Jorge is like everyone else, he has different dimensions, taking into account the environment in which he moves. Jorge is a sports enthusiast.
Source: DN
