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An Olympic question
In the midst of the 2004 Olympic Games held
in Athens, Greece, much was made of the number
of medals, gold, silver, and bronze, won
by the competing athletes, and deservedly
so.
Then there were the agonizing stories of
those who had trained for years to compete
in their chosen events, only to fall short
on one particular day.
But, and it is a big but, media coverage,
be it television or print, tended to highlight
the number of medals won by nations, so many
by big countries, so few by little ones.
Each day's awards were tabulated by "country".
The emphasis on nationalism seems to grow
with each passing Olympiad.
Is this what the Olympic Games are all about?
How many people can recall at a moment's
notice how many medals were won by individual
nations at specific games? There are some
who can cite such statistics, but there is
an overwhelming number who remember individual
athletes such as Fanny Blankers-Koen, Jim
Thorpe, Jesse Owens, Ian Thorpe, Emil Zatopek,
Mark Spitz, Martin Sheridan, Nadia Comaneci,
Mildred Didriksen, to name but a few, because
of their athleticism, their sport, the spirit
they displayed as runners, swimmers, boxers,
javelin throwers.
Sheridan was a javelin thrower from Bohala,
in "Mayo, God help us."
It is the individual upon whom the focus
rightly belongs.
Lengthy interviews with, forgive the term,
losers, while of great interest to family,
friends, community, and sympathizers, divert
attention from those who prevailed, those
who captured a spot in Olympic history because
of individual or team effort, those who claimed
the title of champion.
The traditional "If you win, say little;
if you lose, say less" is reversed when
television viewers are subjected to a seemingly
endless procession of replays focusing on
one country or another's athletes coming
fourth, tenth, or last as the case may be,
while their "mistakes" are painstakingly
pointed out by a commentator claiming competence
to act as an expert on each and every facet
of their failure.
As an aside, it's a pity there are no medals
awarded for alliteration, in the Olympics
or elsewhere.
The other admonition, "It doesn't matter
whether you win or lose, but how you play
the game", deserves recollection, especially
in the case of athletes from countries that
have never, repeat never, appeared in any
winning column, in any sport, in any Olympics.
Knowing they have little chance of success,
they are competitors in the true spirit of
sport. They turn up. They do their best.
They win no medals. Their names are seldom
mentioned. But each has an accomplishment
of which to be proud for life, not as a Hungarian
Olympian, not as a Bulgarian Olympian, not
as an American, Canadian, British, Irish,
Dutch, French, Afghanistan, or any other
nationality Olympian.
The simple statement, "I was an Olympian",
says it all.
--30--
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