The true meaning of sports is not
winning but the joy of participation
As a certified lifeguard, Olympic competitor and president of an association that represents the elite of the elite competitors who walked the road of success towards Olympic glory, I have full understanding and appreciation of the huge sacrifices that it takes for someone to train, participate, win and be safe. Winning in sports always requires sweat and tears. Saving lives is the same. Sometimes it is tears of joy and others of sorrow. The sweat is always the same. Lifesaving is the sport that teaches us how to be better people. To do that, we need a set of rules to govern our actions. This book is written by two accomplished authors with a successful track record in advancing lifeguarding, lifesaving sport and the ideals of the Olympic Games in Greece and internationally. I congratulate them for the current publication because it is a useful guide that reminds us that the true meaning of sports is not winning but the joy of participation under safe conditions, where the first and the last competitors in the ranking co-exist and respect each other because without them the championships would not exist.
