Can sports contribute to a nation?

Sports include physical activities of all kinds done under agreed sets of rules and requiring individual skills to successfully complete. A person who participates in a sport is referred to as an athlete or a sportsperson. Most communities worldwide have sporting activities that are indigenous to their communities so that it is difficult to say the exact total number of sporting activities that exist from all corners of the world. This said, some popular sports across all cultures are football, basketball, cricket, tennis, athletics, boxing, rugby, volleyball, and golf.
Sports contribute to the good health of the general population of a nation by providing a platform through which people can do a variety of physical exercises hence gain physical fitness. Some of the benefits of being physically fit are increased energy levels and improved attitude towards life. Also, sports bring together people from all walks of life, thereby fostering a spirit of unity among the people. This is why nations of the world encourage regional sporting activities such as the UEFA football cup, or the CECAFA cup, or even the World cup that draw people from different places and cultures together, so as strengthen interregional relations. There are many other benefits to be had from such sporting meets, for instance, nations can generate revenues by hosting sporting events—sale of food and refreshments to tournament attendees, tournament ticket sales, sports equipment sales, and so forth.
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