Biles and Stokes show sport can lead positive social change | Cath Bishop

Attitudes are changing, away from winning at all costs and a focus on medals, towards compassion and care

Instead of more medals, more compassion. Instead of extraordinary superheroes, brilliant human beings. Instead of a chest-beating accompaniment to “the best ever” chant, simple expressions of pure joy. What a fascinating year of sport, where what happens on the pitch is now much more connected to what happens off it. And what incredible leadership from sportsmen and women across the world who have gone beyond the traditional boundaries of the sporting world to show us a better way to think, behave and connect.

In the Euros Gareth Southgate demonstrated that compassion and care play a central role in high performance, on and off the pitch. He emphasised the importance of ensuring players felt a sense of belonging to the England team as a precondition for delivering their best performance on the field of play, operating at a deeper level than simple team formation and match tactics. He invested as much in those who sat on the bench, those who shared the touchline with him and those who supported the team behind the scenes as he did in those who took to the pitch. And he had no problem reaching out and comforting opponents towards whom he felt instinctive empathy and connection.