February 8, 2018, marks the beginning of the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. As a world that has gone through fragmentation, nuclear pressure, drastic hurricanes and partisanship these Olympics are crucial to the structure of humankind on Earth.
The first Olympic Games were in 1924 in Chamonix. Norway dominated in 1924, winning all except one of nine skiing medals. Skiing would become a lot more popular as the years went on. As the years have gone on, more than 2800 medals have been awarded and Norway is still at the top with an overall 329 Winter Olympic Medals, with the United States in second, and Germany in third.
There are many stories that inspire others during the Olympics. With Shaun White and Lindsey Vonn's emotional ads playing in the U.S., millions of Americans have been motivated to pick up a sport and get healthy. Many of the athletes that compete have worked for numerous years or even an entire lifetime to compete for only a few seconds or minutes for their country.
It’s interesting to think that a competitive worldwide sporting event can actually be good for the morale of a country and world, but it truly is. I’m not saying that a country’s problems tend to cease during these three weeks of worldwide sports, but it does create a short time period of an image of world peace.
In 2014 around two billion people watched the Sochi Winter Olympics. That’s 1/4 of the world watching a symbol of unity. Countries extend over borders during this time, cheering on other athletes in various sports and creating lifelong friendships. These friendships set an example for all the governments. No matter the ideology, background, culture, and political issues, we can overcome our differences for the sake of the world games.
The games can be seen as something fun; a place to admire competition and not only be united with our fellow Americans but other countries as well because, in the end, we are all simply human beings living our lives alongside each other.
From the eyes of the youngest aspiring youth to the oldest eyes looking back through history, the Olympics symbolize being yourself, equality, and serve as an example of persistence and hard work.
For the full schedule of the 2018 Winter Olympics go to https://www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/game-time/resul...