No longer in need of running after game or scaling cliffs in order to gain the high ground, we now turn to sport and recreation to measure ourselves against one another. Competition is the ultimate aim of that common human activity called sport, and now more than ever it is a metaphor of life. This is why Sportmeet, the Focolare’s expression of dialogue with the world of sport, decided to point the spotlight on its international convention being held in Pisa this April 3-6, 2014.    The event is called Live Your Challenge. But does healthy competition still exist? President of Sportmeet, Paolo Cipolli, explains: “With the help of international experts and live testimonies, we want to reflect on the value of competition. Competition in sport is regulated and healthy. Although it is often intense, it can be engaging and team-building. We each have our daily challenges in life, and the prize is not a medal but the satisfaction of having given our best. This is the meaning of the logo that was chosen for this convention, it represents an obstacle made to the measure of each one’s ability.” Interviews with experts directly involved in the event gave an idea of the interesting programme of reflection and live experiences. Bart Vanreusel from the University of Lovanio explained: “Competitiveness in sport is a great concern, but also an opportunity; it’s both idealized and despised, but it is certainly an extremely interesting expression of human life today.” Football is probably the sport that shows both the good and the worst side of competition,” said Michel D’Hooghe who is a member of the FIFA Executive Committee. Benedetto Gui, political economics researcher at the University of Padua, drew a parallel between sport and economics: “Competition is an indispensable social mechanism, both for economics and human growth, but, as the saying goes, too much can be bad for you. In sport, you learn to measure yourself against others, but also to share with them. If too much emphasis is placed on the result, you forfeit your opportunity to experience those ‘relational goods’ that are at the very heart of sport.” Social sport trainer, Roberto Nicolis, offered an original idea: “The word competition is rooted in the Latin phrase cum petere, which means to want the same thing together, and cum petizio means to call one another to the same goal. Cum petere is what a child means when he asks: “Can I play with you?” and is prepared to enter into the game, to accept its rules and regulate himself against the others and with nature. He knows and accepts that he can either win or lose.” Information: sportmeet.org Program of the Congress Enrol