Pope Francis warns Olympic leaders over sport commercialization

Addressing the delegates of the European Olympic Committees at the Vatican on Saturday, Pope Francis has warned that the commercialization of sport may undermine its spiritual values.

Pope Francis told Olympic leaders that looking for profit and victory at all costs risked reducing athletes “to mere trading material”.

“Sport is harmony, but if money and success prevail as the aim, this harmony crumbles,” the Pope said.

The pontiff has struck a different tone to his predecessor on a range of issues.

Pope Francis said recently the Church was too focused on preaching about abortion, gay people and contraception.

He played basketball as a young man and is a keen supporter of his local San Lorenzo football club in Buenos Aires.

Pope Francis had two days of meetings with leaders of the world of sport. He met Sepp Blatter, the head of the International Football Federation (FIFA) and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.

He has also been talking about the spiritual values of team games with the rugby squads of Italy and Argentina – ahead of their encounter in Rome.

“Rugby is like life because we are all heading for a goal. We need to run together and pass the ball from hand to hand until we get to it,” Pope Francis told the rugby players.

Addressing the delegates of the European Olympic Committees at the Vatican on Saturday, the Pope said: “When sport is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost, it risks reducing athletes to mere trading material from whom profits are extracted.”

Thomas Bach presented the Pope with the Olympic Order in Gold, telling him: “You truly understand the joy in human spirit that sport can bring but just as much the deeper values that it can nurture.”

Sepp Blatter gave Pope Francis a special Latin edition of the FIFA magazine.