I don’t know what it is, but the Olympic games has always captured my imagination, even going back to when I was 11 years old, and watching Scott Hamilton ice skating in Sarajevo. Has it really been 38 years since that performance?
Whether it be the winter games, or the summer games, I always have tried to think about what has been like to be an Olympic athlete. You always hear the personal stories about how these athletes sometimes start their training as a young child, and all the sacrifices that they have made to try to achieve their dream. What happens when they succeed, or, even more interestingly, what happens if they fall short of their ultimate goal?
In addition to learning about sport and personal stories, the Olympics also started my interest in learning about current events, particularly world geo-politics. Now, I am no expert in world affairs, but through sport, I started to learn as a young man, that the world is a small place, and even though political events occur thousands of miles away, they can impact things locally.
I know that there are many controversies with regard to China being the host country for the 2022 winter games, and those controversies should be talked about and explored. However, politics should not overshadow the athletes and their achievements. In a way, I’m still that 11 year old kid watching sport, and having eternal hope that the world will be a better place.