Friday, August 3, 2012

The Olympics - Off topic but I don't care, it's my blog


Many of us are drawn to the Olympics because of the real life drama that plays out as we watch; the Fab Five winning gold while the Russians crumbled under pressure, The French comeback victory over the Americans at the 4x100 relay.  We cheer for America, celebrating every gold medal win.  When expectations fall short, we sulk a little, slightly envious of the competitors place on the podium.  After all, why should we cheer for the opposition, right?

However, a different kind of competition is being played out at the ExCel Exhibition Centre, where weight lifters compete for their share of Olympic medals.  One by one, competitors walk through a tunnel, climb a few stairs onto the stage, and attempt their lift.  Throughout each lift, there is one consistent theme: everyone cheers for everyone.  At first, it’s kind of odd.  A largely English crowd gave Lin Qungfeng of China a standing ovation for his gold medal lift.  After Bakhram Mendibaev of Uzbekistan failed to lift 135kg on his first two attempts, the crowd gave such a welcome on his third attempt you would think he was representing the UK.  And when Sibel Simsek of Turkey failed to lift 133kg, a ring of disappointment swept through the crowd. 

After you watch a few lifts, you begin to understand why things are different here. When a competitors walks out, you see broad shoulders and melon shaped thighs indicative of hard work and hundreds of hours of preparation.  You are taken through a mental ritual with them.  Parting words with their coaches, a breath to release nervous energy, chalking up their hands, greeting the crowd, and then the intense focus that seems to overcome them in an instant.  They meditate over the bar for a moment, inhale a breath, and attempt the lift.  It’s an intensely personal moment, alone on the stage publicly displaying their successes and failures, and a relationship between the athletes and the spectators starts to emerge.  You see them as something more than just a representation of a country. A personality emerges; you see their joy, you see their disappointment.  You see how they respond to adversity, and in every athlete you see the most human of emotions, hope.   In their moment, you want every athlete to succeed.  You want every competitor to lift their target weight.  And when they do, you want to celebrate with them.  But if they fail, you want to applaud the attempt.

And maybe, that’s what the Olympics should be about.  It’s nothing short of a miracle, that despite all the political turmoil our little planet experiences, we can manage to gather over 200 countries in one city and peacefully watch their athletes compete.  Why then, should we not see beyond the simple boundaries of nationhood?  After all, the Olympics aren’t meant to celebrate the successes of a single star country, but rather the limitless boundaries of human potential.   

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