Prompt: Popular events like the football world cup and other international sporting occasions are essential in easing international tensions and releasing patriotic emotions in a safe way. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

I agree that international events play an essential role in easing tensions between countries and releasing patriotic emotions. Ċ In popular events, for instance, the Football World Cup and other international sporting occasions, the athletes, coming from various countries, gather together to represent their countries to participate in the games. Other than to win the games, the most important is to have a chance to show and communicate with each other in the stage of the world. Through this stage, the country can realize foreigner cultures from a different view, contributing to tense relationship with some others. Ċ Also, for the athletes, the ethnical emotions are not, actually, involved in the competition. Here, they are not citizens of their states, but athletes to compete with others. No matter whether they will win, they always make a smile, saying congratulations to others because they all know it is just a stage where they learn from the strong opponents through competitions. So, to some extent, it is a safe way to develop friendship without patriotic emotions. Ċ However, it is not absolute like anything else. Sometimes, some athletes may have a counter-productive effect on the relationship between countries. For example, it makes them excited to defeat the rivals, becoming the champion. In this situation, it is easy to intensify the original contradiction only because of the events. Ċ Even though, I still believe that, in some way, it is beneficial for international situations to hold large-scale competitions.