Sir, – Further to recent correspondence (July 20th) regarding Laura Kennedy's "The dangers of telling kids 'it's the taking part that counts'" (Life, July 14th), a great thing about sport, or any activity, is that we can lose ourselves in it.
Awarding medals can act against this by placing the emphasis firmly back on us. Our participation. Our victory. Our medal. If the focus is too much on our getting awards, it takes away from learning how to become part of something outside ourselves.
The dancer in Yeats's poem Among School Children might never have learned to become the dance, had he or she been constantly distracted by medals. – Yours, etc,
COLIN WALSH,
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Templeogue,
Dublin 6W.