The Olympics come to a close today, and as they do I have some thoughts that come to mind, about the resiliency of humanity. About how we as a species are facing crisis of disease and yet our games and our athletes matter and take center stage like never before. Billions were spent to play only to a TV audience. But it was sensible, it was as safe as possible and it wasn’t about power and dignitaries.
Through the games we can come to understand something more. Something about ourselves, something about athletes as humans, with mental health challenges, with physical challenges, with personal stories that include overcoming crippling injuries, and crippling anxieties. We saw the families at home and in watch parties cheering and crying in joy for they know so well the sacrifices made.
We know now that these are special human beings, not superhuman, they are us in all our forms and with all our problems, winning, losing, it doesn’t matter, it matters that they are playing the game, presenting us with an insight into who we are as humans, and who we are capable of being.
I saw many sports, I suspect many of us never watch until the Olympics… track and field, gymnastics, swimming, the beauty of synchronized swimming, and diving, the back breaking rowing, the lightning fast table-tennis, and the top athletes of basketball, soccer, and so many sports compacted into a couple of weeks… and yet as they and we celebrate… many of the athletes next week will go back to training and preparing for the next World Championships and the next Olympics, for themselves, their country, for us and for humanity.