Ever since the modem Olympic Games began in 1896, they’ve had their critics. Every form of【B1】______activity invites trouble. Bu

Ever since the modem Olympic Games began in 1896, they’ve had their critics. Every form of (36)competitive activity invites trouble. But part of the aim of the Games, when they were first held in (37)ancient Greece, was to discourage war among states by (38)engaging them in a friendlier kind of combat.
    The spirit of competition in the Games uses up a lot of energy that could be more harmfully (39)employed. It does a lot of good, getting people to forget their differences in a (40)communal activity. Any competitor or (41)spectator at the Games or in the Olympic Village will tell you that the atmosphere of friendship there is (42)unforgettable as if the world were one big family. And the (43)hostilities that the press always likes to exaggerate, exist only in a few quarters. (44)What we suffer from is bad publicity, not bad sportsmanship.
    These Games are the biggest international gathering of any kind in the world. (45)Not only do they bring sportsmen together, but they unite a world public. Isn’t this a sufficient reason for continuing them? Of course, a few people are going to use them as an occasion for propaganda, but this is no reason why the Games should be canceled. (46)Why should every harmless activity be spoiled for the majority by the minority?
    No! As long as the majority wants it, these Games will continue. This is sport, not politics, and it should remain so.