The true spirit of the Olympic Games
Olympic athletes are awesome. It doesn’t matter if they don’t reach the podium. They are the model in dedication, hard work and passion for excellence.
One-tenth of a second that divides bronze medal and no medal is irrelevant compared to the world peace they advance. Unfortunately today, the Olympic movement is highjacked by those whose idea is national chauvinism, self-glorification and profit. We need to recover the original Olympic spirit.
When I worked in an international NGO in Switzerland during the 1970s-’80s, I had a colleague from East Germany. She took a job in Geneva because it gave the chance for her daughter to escape. The young woman had shown an exceptional prowess in swimming. She was conscripted into an elite group of swimmers to compete in international events for Communist Germany. She lived a comfortable life other compatriots could only dream of.
However, after a few years, the mother had noticed an unusual muscle development on her daughter’s body. They assumed it was the effect of the daily nutritional supplement she had to take. They did not like it. So when they saw an opportunity, they left the country.
Doping in sports has been going on for a long time. It was particularly rampant in Eastern Europe during the 1980s. It was common in other countries, too. It’s a sign of corruption in the Olympic movement. The founder of the modern Olympic games, Pierre de Coubertin, resurrected the ancient Greek sports competition to promote world peace after the devastation of the First World War. He said, “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part.” The Olympic Games began as a getting together for peace.
In that sense, my Olympic heroes are the Jamaican bobsled team who competed in Calgary. They had absolutely no hope of getting even close to the podium. But they participated with the greatest of dignity and enthusiasm. The Korean women’s hocky team is a combined team of North and South Korean athletes created on short notice. It must have been a nightmare for the coach. But it helped to reduce the tension between North and South Korea which are technically at war. If a war was averted, it meant millions of lives saved. It is better than a tenth of a second advantage that may reward a gold medal.
Tadashi (Tad) Mitsui
Lethbridge