Olympics opening ceremony kicks off 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina in model

Pope Leo XIV, an avid sports activities fan, marked the beginning of the Winter Games on Friday by extolling the optimistic values of sport and truthful play whereas warning that the pursuit of income and efficiency risked corrupting sport fully.

In a message entitled “Life in Abundance,” Leo traced the historical past of Christian philosophers and popes who recognized sports activities and leisure actions as useful for each bodily and religious growth.

He referred to as for sport to be accessible to each poor folks and ladies, particularly, and for followers to chorus from turning sport right into a fanatical faith. Athletes, too, he mentioned, should chorus from narcissism and changing into obsessive about their picture and success.

“The cult of image and performance, amplified by media and digital platforms, risks fragmenting the person, separating body from mind and spirit,” he warned.

True sport, he mentioned, requires a “shared ethical accord” between opponents, the place the foundations of the sport are accepted and the integrity of the competition is revered.

“Accepting the limits of one’s body, the limits of time and fatigue, and respecting the established rules means recognizing that success comes from discipline, perseverance and loyalty,” he mentioned.

Leo, 70, religiously performs tennis and swims, and is a longtime fan of the Chicago White Sox.

The pontiff drew on his expertise as a tennis participant in his message, noting the cultural and religious advantages of the so-called “flow experience,” of being challenged past one’s degree, that each followers and gamers alike can expertise in a protracted tennis rally.

“The reason this is one of the most enjoyable parts of a match is that each player pushes the other to the limit of his or her skill level,” Leo wrote. “The experience is exhilarating, and the two players challenge each other to improve; this is as true for two ten-year-olds as it is for two professional champions.”

-CBS/AP