The tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili and the recent terrorist threats directed at sportsmen in India have quashed any thoughts that global sport is just a game.
George Orwell's description of serious sport as war minus the shooting is no longer accurate.
All athletes accept a certain level of risk in sport.
From tweaking your back in lawn bowls to wrenching a knee in rugby, injuring yourself is a given in many weekend sporting events and leisure pursuits.
The risk factor in sports that involve contact, speed and power is increased exponentially, and in many cases, danger is what attracts risk-taking individuals to these sports.
As the rewards due to sporting success grow so, too, do risky behaviours, such as doping and excessive training.
Five athletes had previously died in pursuit of Olympic fame: two while training for the 1964 Winter Olympics, a skier during a training run in 1992, a Danish cyclist in 1960 and a Portuguese marathon runner after collapsing from sunstroke and heart trouble in 1912.
It is also speculated that athletes have died as a result of doping.
The tragedy in Whistler was shocking and sad, but its impact on sport in general is minimal.
Terrorism threats, however, have a more lasting impact because the most significant danger terrorists pose to global sport is fear.
The killing of 11 members of Israel's Olympic team at the 1972 Munich Games by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September made the threat of terrorism a reality, and attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan and the Togo football team in Angola are even fresher in our memories.
Al Qaeda has now apparently threatened to target sporting events hosted in India, including the 2010 Hockey World Cup, the IPL and the Commonwealth Games, and many New Zealand athletes are involved in these events.
We often expect our elite athletes to be committed and to make sacrifices, but do we expect them to risk their lives in order to play sport?
It wasn't so long ago that the Black Caps nearly suffered at the hands of terror when a suicide bomb blasted outside their Pakistan hotel.
Do we let the terrorists win and stop athletes and teams from participating, or do we sacrifice the athletes' safety to make a point?
The initial reaction from New Zealand athletes and associations has been mixed - in some cases ignorant, and in others reeking of the "she'll be right, mate" philosophy.
The risks in sport participation at the elite level have escalated drastically and the mental toughness and bravery of our athletes will be truly tested in India.
Rather them than me.
Surely the health and safety of our athletes and support staff is more important than a cup or trophy, and in this instance I'd agree it is only a game.
