My love for the Olympics is no secret and I admit my bias in this regard.
The 2010 Winter Olympics changed my life completely. I was a sedentary 14-year-old with no desire to be active due to my lack of athletic talent. But I still wanted to know what the other boys in my 9th grade drama class were talking about when they discussed Canada’s chances of winning gold in hockey.
Sidney Crosby’s golden goal got me interested in following the NHL and I realized that athletes from other sports (like Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir and Ashleigh McIvor from Whistler) are also worthy of praise. By London 2012, I was fully committed to the Canadian national team.
Without these two unforgettable weeks of competition in Vancouver and Whistler, the flame of sporting enthusiasm would never have been ignited in my heart – and I would not be writing to you today as a sports journalist.
I’m not necessarily in a position to give a balanced assessment of the Olympic Games as a social, political or economic entity. While I know that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is not exactly run by saints, I still get annoyed when someone disparages the essence of the Games themselves. In my opinion, these people are missing something.
This topic is very close to my heart. Even closer to the athletes who lose their lives in the fight for a medal and to the families of these athletes who make enormous sacrifices to help them make it.
Paris 2024, as always, offered a series of ups and downs. Canadians delighted in Summer McIntosh’s swimming masterpiece that won her four medals, but we were also appalled by a drone spying scandal caused by staff in our women’s soccer program. Some with Christian or conservative leanings condemned the opening ceremony, feeling it was a mockery of the Last Supper – while artistic director Thomas Jolly insisted he was actually referring to the Greek god Dionysus.
Other publications have explored these issues, so I will not repeat them here. Instead, I will argue that the Olympics’ potential for controversy and opulence is crucially balanced by their potential to inspire people.
Olympism: Striving for excellence
The Olympic Games reach more people from more walks of life than any other sporting event. An average of 30.6 million Americans watched the games in Paris on various NBCU platforms – more than even the leading NFL football league. Football on Sunday evening broadcast (21.4 million). Meanwhile, between July 26 and August 11, a total of 27 million Canadians tuned in to CBC, Sportsnet, TSN and RDS.
Almost 70 percent of our country’s population has been involved with the last Olympic Games at some point. Many of them (especially children) were undoubtedly inspired to dream big.
Only a fraction of these people will achieve world class achievement in any sport, but the rest have the chance to learn important lessons about hard work, perseverance and maturity in the face of life’s hardships. While elite athletes are not always the best role models, they inevitably attract a demographic that may not be as interested in doctors, politicians or civil servants.
Moreover, many Olympians have a lot to teach us, no matter how decorated they are or not.
Take, for example, my fellow Calgary native, Ingrid Wilm. She is a 26-year-old swimmer who placed sixth in the final of the 100-meter backstroke in Paris. I couldn’t help but be charmed by Ms. Wilm’s lively and authentic interviews, so I decided to read more about her.
It turns out Wilm had to qualify for the Olympics despite a persistent elbow injury and chronic financial problems. Her parents are divorced and she describes her father as “not a very nice man.” Since her 14th birthday, she has had to help pay the bills and her siblings have come together to finance her participation in the 2019 FISU Games.
Countless people struggle with broken families and/or financial instability. Wilm’s statement may resonate with some of them, as she has managed to overcome these obstacles while maintaining a joyful outlook on life. This young woman beamed with gratitude at the microphone shortly after missing out on the biggest podium finish of her career, and her ability to do so is far more admirable than her trophy cabinet could ever be.
The Olympics also highlight many other worthy stories.
Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won four medals in Paris despite three cruciate ligament tears in her previous life. Zeng Zhiying represented Chile in table tennis for the first time in July – aged 58. Turn back the clock and we find an underdog like Eddie the Eagle, who threw the ultimate career Hail Mary… and put British ski jumping on the map.
We can all learn as much (or even more) from people like these as we can from decorated icons like McIntosh, Simone Biles, Usain Bolt, etc.
Popular Canadian broadcaster Scott Russell brought this up in an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press: “I have enormous respect for Olympic athletes and the Olympic movement in general. I truly believe it is one of the world’s greatest hopes. It continues to bring people together against all odds.”
