2024 is set to provide fans with a festival of sport. From the return of Formula One in March to Euro 2024 and the men’s and women’s cricket Twenty20 World Cup.

Arguably the marquee sporting event of the year is the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Founded on a love of sport, unity, and competition, the modern Olympics has the power to bring people together.

Here are three key life lessons the Olympic movement, and sport in general, can teach about the joy of sport, the buzz of competition, and why winning isn’t everything.

The history of the Olympics stretches back to ancient times

The original games date at least as far back as 776BC and were held every four years, a unit of time known as an “Olympiad”.

Originally a celebration of physical fitness in ancient times, the spirit of the modern Olympics is symbolized by the interconnected five rings of its famous logo. Designed in 1913, the rings express the activity of the Olympic Movement and the union of the five inhabited continents: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

According to the International Olympic Committee, Olympism is:

“A philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will, and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.”

Right now, with uncertainty and conflict around the world, the goals of Olympism – to use sport to develop humankind, promote peace, and preserve human dignity – seem more important than ever.

3 life lessons to take from sport

1. Sport can help develop emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage your own emotions and understand the emotions of others, and sports can provide lessons in this.

There are five main parts to emotional intelligence:

• Social skills
• Self-regulation
• Self-awareness
• Motivation
• Empathy

Being part of a team or a community with a shared interest helps to build invaluable social skills and you can take these into other aspects of your life.

The emotional highs and lows of competition can improve your self-regulation, learning coping mechanisms for the sting of a defeat or the frustration of a poor performance.

Understanding how you fit into a team, or how you are performing in an individual sport on a given day, can build self-awareness. Sport will occasionally force you to look into the mirror or take a step back, to view yourself how others see you. This might seem scary but it can be fulfilling and even improve your performance.

Overcoming the struggle to get up in the morning for a run, or to train harder for an upcoming competition, will provide invaluable lessons in motivation.

Witnessing the struggles of others, meanwhile, improves empathy.

2. Sport teaches perseverance

We all have goals, from personal milestones to financial targets. And sports can provide valuable lessons in reaching them.

Training and playing sports can be hard and there will likely be many setbacks along the way. The ability to overcome these obstacles, get back on the horse, and set off again is what sets our sporting greats apart.

We are all constantly learning and evolving as human beings. Sport can teach us the joy of winning and the sting of failure, but also that neither is the end. This can help us to look forward and thrive in the future, but conversely, allow us to live in and enjoy the moment too.

This can help build self-esteem, resilience, and mental agility and possibly lead to an increased sense of fulfilment.

3. Sport can provide the opportunity to reframe negativity and lessen psychological suffering

With increased emotional intelligence and resilience comes self-awareness and the ability to better regulate and manage your reactions.

This ability can be crucial on the pitch, field, track or oche. But in your wider, everyday life too.

It comes down to understanding the things that are within your control. You might have trained as hard as you could, and be the best you can be, but that doesn’t mean someone won’t be better on the day.

Turning “I must win” or, more generally, “I must succeed” into “I want to win” and “I’d like to succeed” could help you to take a step back.

This can also help you to place a barrier between yourself and negative thoughts. You want to perform well but you know there’s a chance you won’t. Own this thought but treat it as one possibility among many and don’t allow it to cloud your ability or accomplishments.

You can only ever do your best in a given moment, so embrace that, whether in sports or life.

Paris 2024 arrives this summer

Taking place between July and August, the Olympics will this year introduce four new sports: breakdancing, sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing.

Dina Asher-Smith, Sky Brown, and Adam Peaty are among the British hopefuls looking to take home medals.