Why, I wondered to a friend last week, do some people place such importance on sports? Isn’t it ridiculous for grown ups to waste so much time and energy worrying about essentially childish pastimes over which they have no control? But he disagreed. Sports, he said, provide emotional training. Thrilling to victories and agonizing over defeats is an excellent preparation for the inevitable ups and downs of life.

True we quickly forget the results of events we so exulted or lamented over, and often we marvel later at our former excitement about now inconsequential matters. But how many of history’s millions of wars changed anything in the end? With very few exceptions nearly all mighty conflicts leave posterity as puzzled as Old Kaspar in ‘The Battle of Blenheim’

"But what good came of it at last?"

Quoth little Peterkin.

"Why, that I cannot tell," said he,

"But 'twas a famous victory."

And playing fields are never strewn with the dead.

‘What goes around comes around’ is one of sports’ great lessons. Thus West Indies cricket fans who once exulted in arrogant invincibility now groan in suffering humiliation. In the end every team loses about as much as it wins. And since losing hurts worse than winning feels good, Damon Runyon was pretty much on the money – life in general feels like six to five against.

Sometimes sports educates us indirectly. Four years ago there was a big Olympics controversy about Merlene Ottey and Peter Gay Dowdie. After talking to people who knew a bit about the situation, I concluded that Ms. Dowdie had been wronged - a charge she herself made when I interviewed her. So I wrote some articles saying as much. Subsequent events however make it seem that what appeared to be deliberate victimization was perhaps more a case of possible deceit combined with managerial indecisiveness and poor communication.

I still don’t know exactly what happened, since no one is anxious to talk and it’s stale news anyway. But it taught me that in this country “Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear” is a better guide than “If it no go so it go close to so”. And I learnt, like Rick Blaine in Casablanca, to publicly stick my neck out for nobody.

This Olympic was a most pleasant experience for Jamaicans, as for the first time we got to hear our anthem played twice. As usual things evened out, with the disappointments of Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt being made up for by Veronica Campbell and the women’s four by 100 relay team – our women as usual outperforming the men. Not even the cynics among us could refrain from wildly cheering these triumphs, or getting misty eyed when our flag was raised to the strains of ‘Eternal Father’.

Our anthem is surely one of the world’s most attractive – no arrogance or belligerence, just a moving hymn of hope. But wouldn’t our flag look better with a touch of red? Heck, most tourists already think our national colours are black, red, green and gold. Why not make it official, and our flag prettier? How about changing the black triangles to red and having a thick black border all around?

One especially nice thing about this Olympics was the non-stereotypical track results. A black man and white woman won the 100. A black man and black woman the 200. A white man and black woman the 400.  A yellow man and black woman the 110 hurdles. A brown man and white woman the 400 hurdles. A white man and black-white woman the 800. A brown man and black-white woman the 1500. A brown man and black woman the 5000. A black man and yellow woman the 10,000. A black man the 3000 steeplechase. A white man and yellow woman the marathon. (I’m counting Ethiopians as black, but should they be called brown?)

For those of us who believe that racial differences are about as meaningful as shoe colours, it was wonderful to behold. And Jamaicans aside my favourite Athens athlete was the half black-half white British runner Kelly Holmes, who after years of disappointment won double gold. Her astonished face after winning the 800 metres was surely the defining image of the games, a moving picture of human unity.

Sports have certainly played a great role in demolishing racial myths. The ‘Dark Prince’ Kumar Ranjitsinhji’s famous century on debut for England against Australia in 1896 was perhaps the first noteworthy sporting blow against the idea of white superiority. And Jesse Owens shattered the Aryan supremacy falsehood with his 4 gold medals in front of Hitler in 1936.

Sports’ ability to prove serious points on a world stage was also seen when Japan more or less announced it’s first world status at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.  China may do the same in Bejing in 2008. Indeed China’s finishing with only 2 gold medals less than the US in Athens hinted at the beginning of a new world order. If China tops the medal table in Bejing – and few would bet against it – it might signal the end of unchallenged American world hegemony.

One amusing inevitability of national sporting triumphs is shameless political bandwagonism. Our medallists will no doubt appreciate the promised money. But 400 hurdle silver medallist Danny ‘jump another one’ McFarlane – who showed as much grit and determination as any athlete in Athens – must have inwardly laughed when he returned home. Where were all those sweet mouth officials when he really could have used the assistance and encouragement?

Perhaps he felt as Samuel Johnson wrote to the Earl of Chesterfield : "Is not a Patron one who looks with indifference on a man struggling for life in the water - and, when he has reached ground, encumbers him with help?" changkob@hotmail.com