Four years to prepare to be great. Four years to prepare to compete. Four years to prepare to represent your country in front of the world. The Olympic stage is every athlete's dream. It is the opportunity of a lifetime to show the world your talent, giving it all you've got with hopes of coming out on top. For some, just the chance to grace the stage with their presence is enough, even if they must leave empty-handed. Each athlete is prepared to show the world what they're made of, but for some they choose to remain loyal to the true them even while competing, and express it as the world watches reminding us simple things continue to bring us together despite differences.
Recently, a photo of a German and Egpytian women's volleyball players facing off at the net in a preliminary game has gained some attention. You may be saying to yourself well that's normal thousands of pictures are taken around the clock at the olympics. The difference is that this picture is gaining attention due to the fact of two alternate universes being captured in the same moment. "The photo, by Lucy Nicholson of Reuters, juxtaposes two women, two beliefs and two dress codes, brought together by sport" (nytimes.com). Doaa Elghobashy representing Egypt opted for a long sleeve shirt, leggings, and notable hijab to sport as she competed in honor of her country. This is a much different look than the more common and revealing bikini that we are use to seeing sported.
This captured moment has so much expression packed into its megapixels. Living in America where we live by "land of the free, home of the brave" we don't think twice when it comes to doing things such as getting dressed in the morning, especially as a woman, but in other parts of the world this isn't the case. In many other countries we see restricted freedoms encapsuling their everyday lives. As any outsider looking in we see something that is different from what we are use to and accuse it as being not normal. The reality is that just because we don't understand, it doesn't make it not normal because to them it is just as natural as putting one foot in front of the other to walk.
To some the olympics is all about racking up the silver and gold while for others it is all for the love of the game. At the end of the day it is so much more than just tallied points for each country. It is a shared stage where people come together from all corners of the earth to participate in whatever sport or event they each carry a passion for in their heart. Instead of viewing this picture as the many differences that are evident from it, choose to see a picture of two women giving their all for the sport and country that they love.
