Like most people, I love the Olympics. On a day-to-day basis, I could not care less about sports, but every four years, I will sit at home for hours cheering on Team USA.
It is no secret that there are divisions among different countries and groups of people. Within America itself there are divisions, and there is no shortage of issues between other countries. The Olympic Games are a tradition where those issues are pushed aside for two weeks and all that matters is the ability of each athlete competing for his or her country.
Though there may be a bad seed here and there, the compassion and support shown through the Olympics cannot be denied. Not only do gymnasts who competed the day before as a team support each other in the individual competitions, but if you watch in between events, you will see people from all different countries offering each other congratulations.
During the men’s gymnastics all-around individual finals, Kohei Uchimura of Japan and Oleg Verniaiev of Ukraine were leaving it all out on the floor as they were neck-in-neck for the gold medal; Verniaiev lost by only a tenth of a point. Though the excitement and relief washed over Uchimura’s face when the final scores were announced, his first move was to make his way over to Verniaiev and give him a hug.
Verniaiev, who was, no doubt, upset by just barely missing the gold, returned the hug in one of the most sincerest moments I have seen in a while.
And it’s not just gymnastics. The Olympics have a knack of bringing together people from different backgrounds and no one cares that their opponent is of a different race, religion, value or belief system. That is not what matters during these two weeks.
During a beach volleyball game, Egypt's Doaa Elghobashy chose to wear a hijab. Her partner chose to go bare-headed, but she also opted out of the typical bikini seen in women's beach volleyball.
This photo has been called a "clash of cultures," but I disagree. This embodies what the Olympics are about. It's about sports, it's about athleticism. It is not about how someone chooses to dress or what they believe, because clearly these women are both incredible volleyball players. I mean, they made it to the Olympics!
The Olympics are a true testament to humanity and the good that is in people. They might be competing against each other, but at the end of the day, everyone is doing their best at what they love. As a result, the entire world is united in watching these events. The Olympic Games are awesome in every sense of the word and are just what the world needs every now and then to remind us that we are all human. Despite the differences, we are all human, and that fact alone can never truly separate us.
