Olympic Games: where universal brotherhood, patriotism and individual achievement merge
Website design By BotEap.com“The Olympic Games are the place where universal brotherhood, fierce patriotism and individual achievement come together creating the perfect microcosm of the world”
Website design By BotEap.comThe modern Olympic Games, where most of the world’s countries now meet every two years, used to be every four years, is a microcosm of the world. It brings out the best in us: the athletes, the spectators and the countries of the world… who really become participants in the ‘big’ event. We all put our differences aside as we participate in this incredible global event, while displaying our deepest patriotic feelings and personal best efforts as athletes.
Website design By BotEap.comWhen Sean White shows off his new tackling trick in Torino or Vancouver, the youth of the world are mesmerized. When an unknown luger from Georgia, Nodar (Kumaritashvili), with a last name almost no one can pronounce, dies in practice the afternoon before the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics, the entire world, especially the entire Olympic athletic community. , he laments. Or when Canadian Joannie Rochette loses her mother at the Olympics two days before her event, due to a massive heart attack, the entire world gasps. Joannie decided to go ahead and skate in honor of her mother, who was her biggest fan. She skated her personal best and didn’t break her game face until she completed her phase one bronze short skating performance, after which everyone cried with her. She ultimately took home the bronze medal, ending her performance with a kiss as her eyes shot up to the sky to a chorus of applause.
Website design By BotEap.comIn 2003, before the Beijing Olympics, when Kim Collins ran to a stunning victory in the 100m at the World Championships, most people had no idea what country the letters SKN stood for. Collins, from the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, said his victory was the “biggest thing” to happen since his country, with a population of less than 40,000, gained independence in 1983. .
Website design By BotEap.comThe Olympics are the only place where you don’t have to be from a rich or powerful country, a wealthy family, or a big or well-known nation to be treated equally and have an equal chance of winning. And for many, like Collins, their achievements add to their country’s national identity and help put it on the map for tourism or for others help the world see a softer side to a superpower like when American Dan Jansen became he fell after dedicating his skate to his sister Jane, who died of cancer earlier that day, only to fall down and break down in tears. Dan won that gold six years later and took his victory lap carrying his one-year-old daughter named Jane…for his sister.
Website design By BotEap.comAs Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd noted: “When the world looks at Australia, much of its image of Australia is shaped by what our athletes have done in the field of sport, including Olympic sports” and what the world saw. of our country since Australia hosted the Olympic Games.
Website design By BotEap.comWhen Tanzanian marathoner John Stephen Akhwari dragged his injured leg to finish last with a time of four hours and 30 minutes in the marathon race at the Mexico City Games in 1968, he received warm applause and cheers from a rabid crowd. waiting for it to finish. . “My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me to finish,” said Akhwari, then 30. Despite finishing last, Akhwari became one of the most memorable figures in Olympic history and was honored as a national hero. through his country in 1983.
Website design By BotEap.comNational pride is ingrained in every athlete and every game or event, but so is compassion for fellow athletes around the world. Over the years, the world has seen Japanese volleyball fans roar for their national team and Italians mourn the loss of their soccer team in their homeland. We’ve seen the Canadian soccer powerhouse beaten by a long-shot American team and the favorite beaten by lesser-qualified athletes, even from their own team.
Website design By BotEap.comAnd as Olympic training, in an ever-shrinking world, has shifted and overlapped more and more, we see true friendships and happiness between fellow athletes who are both friends and competitors, as between gold medalists and Canadian and American ice dance silver, respectively, who share trainers and practice ice. And again, as now, coach Brian Orser, whom Gold always eluded as a figure skater, saw Kim Yu-Na become the reigning Queen by taking Gold as the first South Korean to win a figure skating medal.
Sometimes it has been the host countries that have been both the history and the athletes. There was the Hitler Olympics (Summer and Winter 1936) that allowed a madman to use them for propaganda. And then, in 1972, Germany got its chance to redeem itself with the Munich Olympics, where Jewish-American Mark Spitz won an unprecedented seven gold medals, but his achievements were ironically overshadowed by the massacre of eleven Israeli athletes at hands of a Palestinian militant group. There were years of war (summer 1916, summer and winter 1940, and summer and winter 1944) that led to the complete cancellation of the games and the 1980 Moscow Olympics which were boycotted by the United States and affiliated countries, including Japan, West Germany and China. , Philippines, and Canada, which later led to the boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games by Moscow and its allies, 14 Eastern Bloc countries and allies, including the Soviet Union, Cuba, and East Germany (but not Romania ). And there were the ongoing scandals of doping and drug enhancement of Eastern Bloc athletes under his influence by the Soviet Union. And, more recently, there were previous complaints to Beijing about violations of human and animal rights. But the Olympic flame apparently ignited the Chinese people’s love for their motherland and crowds of them took to the streets after overseas attempts to disrupt, or even sabotage, the Olympic torch relay from the start, also for at least For less than 17 days, the Chinese government was aware of and publicly refrained from many of its practices against human and animal rights. In the end, the community of nations and the peoples of the world stood out from the shadows. Website design By BotEap.comAnd remember the opening of the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City? A tattered American flag recovered from the smoking ruins of the World Trade Center was displayed as President George W. Bush declared the Games open on behalf of a “proud, determined and grateful nation.” The heart of the world was with them. It was America’s message to the world: Americans love their country as they stood in the shadows of the 9/11 tragedy, and the world should stand together to promote common ideals and hope for peace. Website design By BotEap.comHowever, in the end it is the names and performances of athletes such as: Sarah Hughes, Franz Klammer, Dick Button, Jean-Claude Killy, Bonnie Blair, Bjorn Dahlie, Nadia Comaneci, Usain Bolt, Eric Heiden, Hermann Meir, Peggy Flemming, Steven Bradley, Carl Lewis, Dorothy Hamel, Jesse Owens, Scott Hamilton, America’s Miracle on Ice Hockey Team and the list goes on and on who make the games and add to the living spirit of the Olympic Games. Although Michael Phelps is generally considered the greatest Olympian, it would be difficult to compile a list of the best. There are so many factors. And it is impossible to compare the athletes of the first Games with the professionals of the modern era. Website design By BotEap.comTimes of true crisis bring out the best in all of us, the people of the world, but the Olympic Games are the only event that, at least once every two years, brings out the best in humanity without crisis. There is a great history of the airport and the city of Gander in Newfoundland which allowed nearly 200 American flights to land at its airport, after airspace was closed over the United States for the first time in its history within hours of 9/11. . But the 4 days that followed and the amazing hospitality of the people of Gander is the true story, and it is that essence that emerges without the crisis, through the Olympic Games. Website design By BotEap.comIt takes much more than patriotism and ambition to host successful Games. It is important to show full respect to all athletes, to the shining stars like Michael Phelps and Anton Apolo Ohno or those who purely persevere like Akhwari or Jamaica’s Cool Running Team, as well as the countries and cultures of the world where they come from. , to the spectators who come to embrace the games, to the Olympic spirit itself, and to everyone who has competed before. It’s a fine line between love of country, personal ambition, and for at least 17 days every two years, global unity. But sitting down together as a family and watching the Olympics with your children can be one of the best shared experiences a family can have, including lessons and inspiration without a direct word being said. Website design By BotEap.comThe Olympic Games are the pinnacle of true global understanding and the embodiment of the quest for a better world, as opposed to global coalitions, contractual leagues of nations, and the chatter of world orders crafted and planned by self-serving politicians and businessmen. intriguing. Let’s hope we all remember that and follow the light of the Olympic torch and true unity instead of the darkness of idle talk of dividers and conquerors.
Sometimes it has been the host countries that have been both the history and the athletes. There was the Hitler Olympics (Summer and Winter 1936) that allowed a madman to use them for propaganda. And then, in 1972, Germany got its chance to redeem itself with the Munich Olympics, where Jewish-American Mark Spitz won an unprecedented seven gold medals, but his achievements were ironically overshadowed by the massacre of eleven Israeli athletes at hands of a Palestinian militant group. There were years of war (summer 1916, summer and winter 1940, and summer and winter 1944) that led to the complete cancellation of the games and the 1980 Moscow Olympics which were boycotted by the United States and affiliated countries, including Japan, West Germany and China. , Philippines, and Canada, which later led to the boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games by Moscow and its allies, 14 Eastern Bloc countries and allies, including the Soviet Union, Cuba, and East Germany (but not Romania ). And there were the ongoing scandals of doping and drug enhancement of Eastern Bloc athletes under his influence by the Soviet Union. And, more recently, there were previous complaints to Beijing about violations of human and animal rights. But the Olympic flame apparently ignited the Chinese people’s love for their motherland and crowds of them took to the streets after overseas attempts to disrupt, or even sabotage, the Olympic torch relay from the start, also for at least For less than 17 days, the Chinese government was aware of and publicly refrained from many of its practices against human and animal rights. In the end, the community of nations and the peoples of the world stood out from the shadows. Website design By BotEap.comAnd remember the opening of the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City? A tattered American flag recovered from the smoking ruins of the World Trade Center was displayed as President George W. Bush declared the Games open on behalf of a “proud, determined and grateful nation.” The heart of the world was with them. It was America’s message to the world: Americans love their country as they stood in the shadows of the 9/11 tragedy, and the world should stand together to promote common ideals and hope for peace. Website design By BotEap.comHowever, in the end it is the names and performances of athletes such as: Sarah Hughes, Franz Klammer, Dick Button, Jean-Claude Killy, Bonnie Blair, Bjorn Dahlie, Nadia Comaneci, Usain Bolt, Eric Heiden, Hermann Meir, Peggy Flemming, Steven Bradley, Carl Lewis, Dorothy Hamel, Jesse Owens, Scott Hamilton, America’s Miracle on Ice Hockey Team and the list goes on and on who make the games and add to the living spirit of the Olympic Games. Although Michael Phelps is generally considered the greatest Olympian, it would be difficult to compile a list of the best. There are so many factors. And it is impossible to compare the athletes of the first Games with the professionals of the modern era. Website design By BotEap.comTimes of true crisis bring out the best in all of us, the people of the world, but the Olympic Games are the only event that, at least once every two years, brings out the best in humanity without crisis. There is a great history of the airport and the city of Gander in Newfoundland which allowed nearly 200 American flights to land at its airport, after airspace was closed over the United States for the first time in its history within hours of 9/11. . But the 4 days that followed and the amazing hospitality of the people of Gander is the true story, and it is that essence that emerges without the crisis, through the Olympic Games. Website design By BotEap.comIt takes much more than patriotism and ambition to host successful Games. It is important to show full respect to all athletes, to the shining stars like Michael Phelps and Anton Apolo Ohno or those who purely persevere like Akhwari or Jamaica’s Cool Running Team, as well as the countries and cultures of the world where they come from. , to the spectators who come to embrace the games, to the Olympic spirit itself, and to everyone who has competed before. It’s a fine line between love of country, personal ambition, and for at least 17 days every two years, global unity. But sitting down together as a family and watching the Olympics with your children can be one of the best shared experiences a family can have, including lessons and inspiration without a direct word being said. Website design By BotEap.comThe Olympic Games are the pinnacle of true global understanding and the embodiment of the quest for a better world, as opposed to global coalitions, contractual leagues of nations, and the chatter of world orders crafted and planned by self-serving politicians and businessmen. intriguing. Let’s hope we all remember that and follow the light of the Olympic torch and true unity instead of the darkness of idle talk of dividers and conquerors.