2009 JC2 JCT GP Paper 2 Markers' Report 2009 JC2 JCT GP Paper 2 Markers' Report

Comments .1) Takesome time interpreting the question requirements. Whichrequirementshould be

addressedfirst?Always address R1 ASAP and not at the end of the paragraphor onlyin the conclusion.Worse, some who intendedto address R1 at the end of their answer,eventuallydidn'tbecausethey ran out of time.

2) Do not merelygive severalquotations,or summarise what the writers said all at one go,in thefirst paragraph,withoutengagementof questionrequirements.AddressR1asapl

Issues from Passage A: politics as an Integral part of the Games1. 'carries'great politicalsignificanceand weight' (1.18) - i

2. 'servedas a focus for nationalrivalriesand ideologicalrivalries' (1.24) I3. 'storiesof prisonersplayingcaptors... colonialpeople challenging colonial masters (1.26- I~ ;4. 'usesportsas a weaponof their foreign policyor as a meansto extendan olivebranch' I(1.31-32) .- - I5. '... re-establishlng political contact' (1.33-34)6. 'to strike a blow against-apartheid' (1.35)... political slogan "sport without politics. (1.37)

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,7. 'victory,..can Influencethe developmentof nationalconsciousness'(1.38-39)8. 'state-sanctioned use of drugs' (1.53-54)9. 'television has made the Olympic stage more Inviting for protest demonstrations' (1.60- I

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61)10. 'clash betweenthe Idealsof their manysupportersand the practicesof their manyarticiDants'(1.66-67

3) Forsubsequentparagraphs,quote a relevant phrase and then develop the Idea usingYOUR OWN general knowledge and examples to answer the questlonl make anargument Do not just quote large chunksand then give your responsein one simplisticsentence.

4) Bring in quotationsl ideas from --the passages and not just compose your own views.Those who wrote well, especially, are guilty of rambling in a generalised fashion aboutwhat they thought of sports and politics without making references to issuesfrom eitherpassage, and without providing relevant real world examples.

5) Pick out an Issue to respond to, and not an example ("ping pong diplomacy",massacre of the Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics...). No point quoting anexample from text unless there Is something new to be saldl Unless you can providemore information (beyond the passages) about these examples to support your argument,it is best to U8e YOUR OWN examples. Avoid using the same example as evidencefor different Issues raised. Avoid hypothetical scenarios and examples. Do notblatantly bluff your way through, such as stating the Palestinians killed the Israeliathletes because they were "sore losers; or implying that Michael Phelps took drugs towin his 8 medals (it's recreational marijuana which he abused & not during the BeijingOlympics); or that Marion Jones took- performance enhancing drugs due to politicalmotivation (perhaps, but I am sure that it was primarily motivated by personal ambitionand economic considerations, such as sponsorship and endorsement deals).

Issues from passage B:the Gamesshouldbeseparatedfrom politicalconsiderations1. 'should be contests between individuals... but not competitions between countries' (1.2- .

13)2. BUT the Games have degenerated into 'medal counts, country rankings and even the!declaration of winners of the Games' (1.5-6)"3. difficulty in choosing the host (para3)4. boycott (para4)... 'do nothing more than eviscerate their own citizens, to no usefulpurpose... political failure, and the governments who order them Inept' (1.31-33)5. 'abusing the Games as a political platform' (1.34)7. 'naive to think that terror will disappear from our world... unrealistic to think that theOlvmDicDlatformwill not be irresistibleto shadYaroups' (1.42-44

R1:"Whatdo vou think of the Involvementof politics Insports?"

Students must raise points from both passages. (R2a & R2b)6) Evaluation of issues was particularly weak. Each Issue raised In every paragraph must

be evaluated. Do not take everything the writers say at face value as a given truth e.g.assuming that all athletes who take drugs do it for political reasons or that monetaryincentives given by the govemment is undesirable as it will corrupt sportsmen, dilutingtheir passion and the quality of their game.

7) Studentsmust link their paragraphs and development to the point they want to makeand to the overall argument. Don'tjust respondto the issuesin isolation.

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Theycan chooseeitherview but It would be more sensible to choose a balanced view thatIis reflected In the 2 possible perspectives below:

1) Ideally, sports should be separated from politics but the fact remaIns that today, It I

is inevitable for sports and politics to mix, a fact acknowledged by both Senn and

IPound.However,while there is evidenceand potentialfor abusehere,thisdevelopmentis not necessarilyalwaysa negativeone. I

2) The reality is that politicsare an integralpart of sports today.While this is not 'Ialways a negative development, one must be wary of the potential for abuse of

sports and sporting events by countries and political organisations, an issue raised jby both Senn and Pound.- . I

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8) Have the overall argument in sight throughout. Some students contradicted their standstated in their R1, halfway through their AQ as they attempted to provide "a balancedperspective." Time could have been better spent at the start crafting a thesis statementthat provided this balanced perspective from the beginning, with apt use of qualifiers, InR1, so as not to contradict your overall argument! stand later. Kev:

Ex : explanation; Ev: evaluation; S Eg: Specific example; G Eg: Generic example

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2009JC2 JCT GP Paper 2 Markers' Report 2009JC2 JCT GP Paper 2 Markers'Report

government to vote for a UN resolution to condemn the Sudanase govemment for abuses inDarfur, and hold talks with Tibetan leaders (exl ev), I feel these are issues that are bestraised outside the sporting arena (ev). Furthermore, the attempts to extinguish the Olympicsflame In various cities like London and San Francisco (8 Eg), not only go against the spirit ofthe Olympics but have the potential to cause chaos and Injuries (evl ex).

Having said that, the reality Is that it Is Indeed difficult, if not impossible, to separate politicsand sports (ev) [R1], especially when national pride Is at stake (ex). During the Cold War,the Olympics became an Intense platform for "Ideological rivalries" (Passage A, 1.26)[R2a)as the democratic United States of America (USA) and the communist Soviet Union used theOlympics as a platform to show their superiority (8 Egi ex) through their "medal counts andcountryranklngs".(Passage B, 1.5)[R2b] Even today, ideologicalrivalryis stillevident as !

China, especially, showed her might by topping the medal ranking In the 2008 Beijing.Olympics ahead of the democratic Western democratic nations, thereby declaring to theworld her development as an economic power and a modern, advanced country (8 Egi ex).More recently, in a bid to show political muscle, the 100-strong Chinese delegation boycottedthe opening ceremony of the World Games in Taiwan this year, to show China's displeasuretowards Taiwanese President Ma Ylng-jeou giving the opening address, in perceiveddefiance to China's claim of sovereIgnty over Taiwan. This definitely underscored the limitsof the historic breakthrough in relations between Taipei and Beijing and ruffled feathers indemocratic Taiwan. Many Taiwanese also see the nation hosting the World Games as agolden opportunity to stretch the limitsof the island's International isolation - as It Is absentfrom bodies like the United Nations, and Is recognized by only 23 countries. (8 Eg, ex).

Nevertheless, sports can also bring a nation or nations together on a common platform,putting aside their political baggage and tension, albeit temporarily (ev), such as when Japanand 80uth Korea co-hosted the 2002 World Cup (8 Eg). In another example, the twofactions Involved in the Nigerian CivilWar actually agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire so that theycould watch Pele play an exhibition match in Lagos, Nigeria in 1967 (8 Eg). As in the case ofPele, sports can produce icons, which can serve as political ambassadors, to Improverelationships and ease tension within and between nations. In yet another example, YaoMlng, playing In the USA' premier basketball league, the NBA, also helped further theunderstanding between the Chinese and the Americans tremendously (8 Eg).

IWhat do yOUthink of the Involvement of politics In sports?" (R1)!

I Ideally, sports should be separated from politics (ev) but the fact remains that today, withthe Increasing significance of International competitions and sportsmen seen asrepresentatives of their nations (ex), it is inevitable for politics to be an integral part of sports(ev), a fact acknowledged by both Senn and Pound. As nations sponsor their sportsmen andappoint them as the nations' ambassadors, it is only rightthat they expect any glory that theindividualachieves to be the nation's gl<;>ryas well (ex). Conversely, any athlete tainted bycheating or doping scandals willalso tarnish their country's reputation (ev). However, while

Ithere Is evidence and potential for abuse, the involvement of politics in sports Is not

I necessarilyalwaysa negativeone. (ev)Explain your choice bv referrina to some Issues raised bv both authors IR2a& R2b}.

; You should also sUJ)~ortY_Qurview with examples drawn from your own experiencesIand observations.I Ii The best argument (ev) for the separation of politicsand sports is when sports are.I "abused... as a politicalplatform"(Passage B, 1.35).[R2b] When politics are allowed into the

Games and groups with agendas use it as a platform to air their interests, it undermines theideals of sports such as sporting excellence, sportsmanship, friendship as well as respect forthe sport and other sportsmen. (ex)

Sportsmen should not have to pay the price for politicalagendas (evl ex), be It in the form ofboycotts of the Olympics Games (Passage B. para 4; Passage A, 1.34-35) [R2b], or bybanning sports teams such as the Yugoslavia soccer team being deprived of the opportunityto participate in the Euro 92 and World Cup 94 (8 Eg) to show world disapproval of theethnic cleansing done by their government back then (ex). It Is unfair to rob individualathletes of the opportunity to display their skills on the world stage (evl ex), after they havetrained so hard (ex) because of political motivations. Similarly,sports'men should not have toput their lives on the line for the political agenda of others (ev/ex). In an eerie echo (ev) ofthe massacre of the 11 Israeli athletes during the Munich Olympics (Passage B, 1.35- 37)[R2b] because of the spillover effect of the Middle East Arab-Israeli conflict (ex), theattempted assassination of the Sri Lankan cricket team In Pakistan recently, In an attempt byterrorists to discredit the Pakistani govemment (8 Eg, ex), should never be condoned (ev).As Pound suggested, It is necessary that host countries take the best precaution to ensurethe safety of all athletes (Passage B, 1.45-47)(R2a]. However, while security measures maybe in place, it Is very difficultfor the host nation to guarantee that nothing untoward happens,particularly in a world that Is so volatile today (ev).

Furthermore, using the media as a "weapon", "invitingprotest demonstrations" (Passage A,1.61 -62) [R2a) is undesirable (ev). For example, the Beijing Olympics was touted as theGenocide Olympics (8 Eg) as an attempt to shame China for her support of the governmentin Sudan, who was responsible for the ethnic cleansing of 200,000 to 500,000 people inDarfur (ex). The Free Tibet Movement also used this opportunity to highlight China's poorhuman riahts record in Tibet (ex). While, these did put some pressure on the Chinese

As seen from the above, politics and sports are indeed Intertwined [R1]. As Senn stated, theOlympics Is a platform where large states like the USA, China and Russia (8 Eg)"demonstrate their power" (Passage A, 1.9)[R2a). It Is also an opportunity for small states to"win recognition for special achievements," (Passage A, 1.9) [R2a] and "enhance theirnational image" (Passage A, 1.40)[R2a). This is evident when Usain Bolt,brought glory toJamaica (8 Eg) and when the world continues to live in awe of the Kenyan runners, who arerenownedfor excellence in long-distanceevents despite their modest budget for sports (8'Eg). Similarly,when AnthonyNestywon the gold In the Men's 100m Butterflyduringthe1988 Seoul Olympics, the worid was alerted to the existence of a small island nation,Suriname (8 Eg). South Korea also won world admiration for reaching the semi-finals duringthe 2002 World Cup (8 Eg).

A further Indicator of the inseparable union of sports and politics [R1), Is howcertainsports

2009JC2 JCT GP Paper 2 Markers' Report

are considered as niche areas or the national sports of specific countries (G eg, ex), suchas China's supremacy in gymnastics and table-tennis, Latin American countries' supremacyin soccer or the way cricket is always associated with India and Pakistan, or rugby with New.Zealand (S Eg).

The "nationalistic frenzy" (Passage A, 1.16) [R2b] with which nations bid to host internationalsporting events, again show how sports is all about national pride and national image.Singapore winning the bid to host the Formula One, the Asian Youth Games and theupc~ming Youth Olympic Games (S Eg) is certainly a boost to Singapore's international

Ireputation.

! The fact that nations are willing to Import foreign talent to boost their medal tally (G Eg) also, speaks volumes of how politics and sports are inter-related [R1]. While this has indeedraised some political controversy (ev), as in the criticism that the Singapore women tabletennis players are not Singapore-born (S Egl ex), the fact still remains that when they won

, the silver.medalduring the BeijingOlympics,therebyending Singapore's48-yearwait for aIsecond Olympic medal (S Eg), the heart of every Singaporean swelled with pride (G Eg). Itbears testimony to the "development of national consciousness" (Passage A, line 38) [R2a]as Singaporeans stayed glued to their television set, cheering the national team on (G Eg).Even the PM's National Day rally was postponed for this momentous sporting event (S Eg).Hence, in this case, sports can bring people together, to stand behind their nation, especiallywhen the citizens are usually politically apathetic (ev).

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i Governments "giving financial rewards to ... medal winners" (Passage A, 1.49-50) [R2a]certainly shows that governments are willing to invest much in sports in the hope of attainingna,tional sporting glory. Malaysia and the Philippines are willing to give more thanUS$300,OOOto athletes who bring home gold medals. Singapore awards $1 million to theathlete who wins a gold medal at the Olympic Games and $10,000 for a gold medalist at theSouth East Asian (SEA) Games. Athletes who break the SEA or Asian Games records willbe awarded $5,000 and $50,000 respectively. This is not necessarily a negativedevelopment (ev) as these rewards for the sportsmen's hardwork can only motivate themfurther (ex) and enable them to have access to the best trainers and facilities (ex). Theintroduction of the Singapore Sports School (S Eg) also goes a long way towards groomingyoung sporting talent in the interest of the nation (evl ex).

In conclusion, politics and sports indeed make strange bedfellows (ev). It also cannot bedenied that some aspects of politics can and have tainted the sporting spirit (ev).Nevertheless; it is also myopic to dismis.s the involvement of politics in sports as only a

! negative development (ev). For good or evil (ev), politics are an integral part of sports todayi and it is difficult to separate the two. [R1]I

. Students are not expected to give such an exhaustive list for their AQ to get 8 marks.Identification and evaluation of 2 - 3 main issues, accompanied by the students' ownexplanation and 1- 2 diverse examples per issue to support their argument would begood enough.

. However, the markers hope that the above examples will sufficiently widen the generalknowledge of TJC students on the subject of sports to help them in the 'A' Levels, '

should the topic comes out.

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2009JC2 JCT GP Paper 2 Markers' Report

Some usefulfactson the Involvement of Dolltlcs In SDOrtsover the years:

platform for national rivalries to be battled out. Fans can get involved in thecheering and jeering on this stage, to overcome their seeminginsignificance/helplessness in affecting real politics. Egs...

)- Canadian representation In America's leagues (MLB - Toronto Blue Jays,

NBA - Toronto Raptors) has demonstrated that sports can serve as anoutlet for the struggle between the US and Canada for supremacy.

)- A fight-erupted between the USSR and Hungary competitors over theSoviet invasion of Hungary during the water-polo semi-final in the 1956Melbourne Olympics.

. 1956 Melbourne Olympics:

» China boycotted the Olympics after the International Olympic Commission(IOC) recognised Taiwan, and would not return to the Olympics until 1980.

» Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon sat out in protest over Israel's invasion of theSinai Peninsula.

» Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands sat out in protest over Sovietinvasion of Hungary.

. 1976 Montreal Olympics:

)- 30 African nations staged a last-minute boycott after the IOC allowed NewZealand to compete. New Zealand's rugby team had recently played in theracially segregated South Africa, who had been banned from the Olympicssince 1964. '

)- Taiwan withdrew when Communist China pressured the host country (andtrading partner) to deny the Taiwanese the right to compete.

. The boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics ( over 60 nations including WestGermany and Japan boycotted the Moscow Games to protest against the SovietInvasion of Afghanistan.The American-led boycott reduced the number ofparticipating nations from 120 to 81, the lowest number since 1956).

. The 1984 LA Olympics (the then USSR led 14 socialist nations to boycott theUS-staged Olympics, in retaliation for the Moscow boycott. The absenteesclaimed the Los Angeles Olympic Committee violated the spirit of the Olympicsby using the Games to generate commercial profits)

Atlanta 1996 Games: Marred by Centennial Olympic Park bombing of July 27,1996.

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2009 JC2 JCT GP Paper 2 Markers' Report

Example of a aood AQ response:

I believethat what Senn said about politics"beingan Integralpart of sports"is true (ev).Despite the fact that we try our best to separate politics from sports, it Is inevitable for both

(\ ! entitiesto be linked(ev). [R1]iPound argues that politics has ruined the whole point of the Olympics [R2b], that is, to

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1,-ahn(L:B/

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promote harmonious cooperation and good sportsmanship among participating countries fan(ex). There is indeed merit to his argument (ev) that the Games should not be used fordisplays of socio-political contests, acts of terrorism, nor infighting to be the host nation.

I [R2b] For example. in the 2008 Summer Beijing Olympics, the world protested against the, ChineseCommunistParty'scrackdownon Tibetas wellas China'strade relationswith

Darfur, earning the Beijing Olympics the title, "Genocide Olympics." (5 Eg) These mediaonslaughts severely criticised the Chinese government and provoked threats of boycott from

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the United States (US), France and other nations (ex) - which thankfully, did not happen(ev). This then resulted in Chinese activists urging shoppers to stay away from the Frenchretailer Carrefour, after pro-Tibet protests in France (5 Eg). Hence, politics in the Olympic

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Games have caused bilateral and International relations to be strained (ex) , fuelled, In nosmallpart,bythe Intensiveinternationalmediacoverage(Passage A, para7) [R2a]..

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i However, to be fair (ev), the political nature of the Games has allowed smaller nations to, / "win recognition for special achievements. (Passage A, 1.9-10) as mentioned by Senn. [R2a]

Singapore's successful bids to host the Asian Youth Games (AYG)and the Youth OlympicsGames (S Egs) have increased her standing In the Asian region and "enhanced... (her)national image." (Passage A, 1.40) [R2a] Furthermore,the AYG has also opened upSingapore to other countries and improved bilateral relations such as the trade relationsbetween Singapore and the Arab nations. (5 Eg, ex)

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The Games have also proven itself to be a neutral base (ev) on which countries resolve theirr- v "ideological rivalries."(Passage A, 1.26) [R2a] During the Cold War, the former Soviet Union

and the US used sports as a positive platform to show.offthelr ideological superiority. (5 Eg,ex) while avoiding the looming cloud of mass destruction that nuclear warfare would havebrought.

i I feel that while politicaldisputes brought up in the Games do serve to erode the spirit of the

iGames (ev), it Is difficultto "separate politics from sports." [R1] After all if the Olympics is

A II\not about social or political issues, it is about patriotism and nationalism (ev), a tool that isv significant in promoting or undermining the political legitimacy of a political party In a country

(ex). Aside from that, a country hosting the Olympics may a(so result in a surge of economic

development due to the influx of foreigners and Investments (ex), and the economicdevelopment of a nation is strongly tied to the ability of the govemment to provide for thewelfare of its people (evl ex). The environmental benefit that the Olympics brought to Chinaduring the 2008 Beijing Olympics was a breath of fresh air. China's air was, for once, clear ofmuch of its pollutants and traffic congestion briefly cleared. The world also viewed China

I more favourably after the spectacular Olympics opening ceremony, despite the initial

I protests over China's poor human rights record (ev).

2009JC2 JCT GP Paper 2 Markers' Report

Whether positively or negatively (ev), politics and the Olympic Games significantly impactone or the other (ev). It may be the victory of an athlete that inspires the nation (ex) or thenation that inspires the athlete to accomplish great feats (ex) In conclusion, the Olympicsand politics are Inseparable and the spirit of the Olympic Games will not be destroyed,contrary to Pound's fears, [R1] as long as man and country are tied together. (ev)

7 marks: Nurul Wahidah.CG 21/08 (adapted)

Markers comments:Well writtenl Good balance of evaluation and substantiation. However,I felt that you were a little over-Indulgent in developing your last example. Developmentcould be more succinct so as to make way for more salient examples such as theSingapore table tennis team winning the sliver medal In the Beijing Olympics or nichesports Identified with nations -to discuss the ability of sports to "enhance national image" or"influence the development of national consciousness".

CO~'Pye\.1e\llSto\ll.~~meys:Ms NoYs\.1e\.1~,MyS NOOy~t\ll.,Ms TIt&lv.g&l~, My T&I\II.yov.gLt, Ms 'B-Ltss T&I\II.

we wf.s\.1&ILLt\.1e best fOY t\.1e lA.'Pco~tv.g t'yeLtVIA.S&I\II.~t\1e 'N Levels.