The first time I saw the Olympics was in 2008. I was in absolute amazement over so many aspects of it. I loved that so many countries, some feuding with one another, could still come together and participate in healthy competition. My eleven-year-old self didn’t quite get the magnitude of the Olympics, but now I think I truly understand why they are such a big deal.
For starters, the Ancient Olympic Games began in the B.C. era in Greece at the heart of their sanctuaries for Greek gods. A modern revival of it came about in the mid-1800s and from there, the rest is history. Through times of war and famine, hatred and love, the Olympics have endured in bringing hundreds of countries together all for the sake of competition.
It seems the Olympics is the only time some countries actually can come together.
At this year’s Games, we’ve seen the first African American woman win a medal for an individual event in swimming, an Olympic legend receive his 23rd medal, Saudi Arabia’s first female sprinter, and even North Korean and South Korean gymnasts take a selfie together.
The Olympics have held sports and athleticism as its main focus, but I think it’s about much more than that. It always has been. It’s about sportsmanship and bringing people together and creating change all at one monumental event that happens only for a few weeks. With billions of dollars spent on the event, some may wonder if it’s worth the hassle and money.
The athletes that participate in the Games and represent their countries, do so because at great sacrifice. Many of them spend hours and hours every day practicing and perfecting their crafts, all for the hope that one day they can stand on that platform hearing their nation’s anthem. Some do it just for the beauty of being an Olympic athlete. And even more do it for making a change in the world.
There’s something special about the Olympics that we sometimes fail to grasp. When the entire world is watching these Games, the athletes have the greatest opportunity to make an impact. Simone Biles, Simone Manuel, and Gabriel Douglas are inspiring millions of young African Americans that you can rise above stereotypes and hatred to represent a country that didn’t always want to represent you. Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte prove that you don’t have to be twenty years old to still compete in your dreams. And Majlinda Kelmendi shows us that you don’t have to come from a huge country to still get the gold.
It might seem strange to spend so much money and effort on a few athletic events. And it would be if that's all the Olympics were. But every athlete, well-known or not, goes to the Games with many jobs to do. They not only compete for medals, they become bridges that connect their countries together over the uneasy waters of our world. No matter the tensions that plague across nations, maybe one day we can thank the Olympics for creating a small peace in a giant world.
