UNITY IN OLYMPICS
If Covid-19 had not struck the planet, we would be enjoying humanity’s most celebrated sporting event by now — the Summer Olympics. This year’s Olympics has been postponed and rescheduled to take place between July 23 and Aug 8 next year, leading many to now refer to it as Tokyo 2020+1. Anyway, thinking about the Olympics takes my thoughts back to Atlanta 1996.
During that Olympic event, Thailand celebrated its long-awaited first gold, won by featherweight boxer Somrak Khamsing.
The historic medal brought the utmost joy to the entire nation, a mood that is not anything like what we are experiencing today.
Somrak defeated Bulgarian opponent Serafim Todorov who proceeded to the final after a controversial win over Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mayweather and Pablo Chacon from Argentina, who lost to Somrak in the semi-final, finished the Games with a bronze each. Both men continued in professional boxing with Chacon eventually winning the WBO Featherweight title in 2001. Mayweather, as everybody knows, is considered one of the sport’s greats.
After Atlanta 1996, Somrak sought more fame in show business. Also, his muay Thai skills became more widely recognised. His clever techniques can be seen online in video clips of his pre-Olympic fights by
muay Thai fans, students, or anyone else around the globe. He is now a legend of martial arts.
Somrak’s three rounds in the Atlanta 1996’s featherweight final, at least for Thais, was nail-biting. Millions gathered in front of their TVs to watch the historic match, all sharing the same goal and ambition. As Thailand’s national anthem played in Atlanta, it echoed in every Thai heart. It was a moment when the nation was so united.
People tend to stick together when we feel we have to fight against the same thing. In some countries, unpopular politicians have even used wars to create a mutual enemy for citizens in order to win in elections. However, that’s not the case with Covid-19. Despite its massive disastrous impacts, the pandemic doesn’t seem to be a good reason for the human race to join hands. Instead, during the past several months we have seen much of the opposite, both in Thailand and in other countries.
Now, I’m looking forward to Tokyo 2020+1. Hopefully, there will be another moment, no matter how brief, when the nation becomes one once again.
As the anthem played in Atlanta, it echoed in every Thai heart