This year has been one of terror. We’re only a little over halfway into 2016 and terrorist attacks are nearly daily for many countries around the world. Countless civilians have been killed and America’s military shows no sign of pulling out of the Middle East for good. Threat levels are rising across the world as countries try to keep their communities from being taken over by extremists. In Istanbul— Ataturk Airport, Turkey, three terrorists with guns and bombs killed 36 people at the end of June. In mid-July, in Nice, France, a large truck plowed though a crowd of men, women, and children, killing nearly 80 people celebrating Bastille Day.
Millions of Syrian refugees have been driven out of their country and women and children are dying, are hopeless— they have no home, no certainty for the future— or even of life. I can’t imagine what they are going through and no one has the answers to helping so many people. In the States, 50 people are killed in a club in Orlando and though not related to terrorist attacks, even our own police and citizens are fighting against each other.
During this time of so much chaos in the world, we all hang onto what we can; find joy in what we’ve got. The 2016 Summer Olympic Games began on Friday, the 5th of August, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With so much chaos in the world, something is so empowering and comforting about watching people from all over the world gather and shake hands in one place. Whether we all agree or not, what the Greeks started in 776 BC— before ISIS, before our modern day terrorist attacks, it's a beautiful thing. Sure, life was never free of violence or religious disagreement, but human spirit has always prevailed through it all, and The Olympics are a perfect example of that.
This year, 189 Olympian veterans are returning to the 544 member U.S.A. Olympic Team, including beloved gymnast Gabby Douglas and swimmer Michael Phelps, who both competed in London and inspired us all. On Sunday, Gabby Douglas got one of the highest scores in the qualifying competition, though she couldn't move on to the all-around because only two teammates could for the country. She's set to compete in the uneven bars, though. Michael Phelps took his 19th gold in the 4x100 relay.
Other veterans are returning as well, who don’t let age slow them down, including the tennis playing sisters, Venus (36) and Serena Williams (34), who have won four gold medals each at previous Olympic Games. Other countries are bringing the heat with their own incredible athletes— Oksana Chusovitina, of Uzbekistan, is a 41-year-old gymnast who set a seven Olympic Games record in Rio. Swedish women’s swimmer, Sarah Sjöström, is also a force to be reckoned with, taking gold in the women's 100-meter butterfly swimming competition.
There are plenty of newcomers as well, this year, that have worked hard in the name of their dreams, in a world that isn’t always so encouraging. Perhaps the most inspiring of this year’s Olympians is an 18-year-old Syrian refugee by the name of Yusra Mardini, who swam for her life crossing the Mediterranean Sea to escape Syrian war with her sister in 2014. She was one of 20 fleeing on a small boat when the motor stopped working. She pushed the boat, with one other passenger, to the shore and saved everyone on board. She won the opening heat of the women’s 100-meter butterfly but did not move to the semi-finals, missing the time to qualify by less than a second. What a story and what a determined soul.
There are plenty of sports for each person to enjoy this summer— tennis, swimming, cycling, Judo, weight lifting, gymnastics, diving, track and field, fencing, and many more— all of which can take our minds off of what’s going on in the world for a little while as we tune into the television in our living rooms and be thankful for what we have. We can awe at these astonishing athletes who don’t give up, no matter what, and we can use their triumphs as inspiration in our own lives.
No matter all of the darkness in this world, we can try to do our own best each day and help others any time that we can. That is what The Games are all about— that is the meaning behind it all, much more than just sports. It's about people succeeding through obstacles. If only everyone in the world could come together the way that Olympians and viewers do for 16 days, if only terrorists could take note that the world is better when there is peace and not violence— then everyone in this world may have the chance to follow their dreams the way that Olympians have.
