Sir, - Competition and sport go hand in hand and the competitive element brings the excitement that we love. However, what vision of sport is currently being instilled throughout our schools? Is win, win, win the only outcome to be proud of? I think that coaches need to analyse their portrayal of what competitiveness is and change the ways of "psyching up" teams and their supporters.
As a result of the awful, tribal incidents in Dublin recently, I have had to ask myself as a parent: how I have portrayed the winning element of sport to my offspring?
We must as parents, teachers and coaches combine the notion of competition with positive motivation and fair play. - Yours, etc.,
Alison Bernstein, Glenageary Hall, Co Dublin.