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Are You Planning to Watch the Olympics?
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: injest on August 15, 2008, 11:01:25 pm ---yeah and I always feel so BAD for the countries that have never won one...but they show up anyway..
--- End quote ---
That's the spirit of the Olympics! It's sort of what I like best about the opening ceremonies, when you watch all the athletes parade in, and you see a group that's maybe only half a dozen--or even fewer--representing some country that most geographically challenged Americans have never even heard of, and you know they have practically no chance of winning anything, but there they are, so brave and proud! :D
injest:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on August 15, 2008, 11:05:12 pm ---That's the spirit of the Olympics! It's sort of what I like best about the opening ceremonies, when you watch all the athletes parade in, and you see a group that's maybe only half a dozen--or even fewer--representing some country that most geographically challenged Americans have never even heard of, and you know they have practically no chance of winning anything, but there they are, so brave and proud! :D
--- End quote ---
those are the stories I would like to watch but you have to wade thru so much crap that I just lose interest.
delalluvia:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on August 15, 2008, 11:05:12 pm ---That's the spirit of the Olympics! It's sort of what I like best about the opening ceremonies, when you watch all the athletes parade in, and you see a group that's maybe only half a dozen--or even fewer--representing some country that most geographically challenged Americans have never even heard of, and you know they have practically no chance of winning anything, but there they are, so brave and proud! :D
--- End quote ---
That's why I love to watch the Olympics, especially the opening ceremonies. As one of the commentators said, "For some countries, this [the opening ceremonies] IS their Olympics."
They mentioned a couple of stories that bring tears to my eyes - the young African swimmer - can't recall his country- last Olympics or so who had just learned how to swim. He wasn't an Olympic caliber swimmer, he was literally a beginning swimmer, yet there he was, dead last, struggling to finish, long after everyone else had packed up and gone home so to speak. People stayed to watch and cheer him on. Another person, from some island country coming in dead last in a race in the Mexico City Olympics I think. Asked why he kept on, he remarked, "My country didn't send me 7000 miles to start the race, they sent me 7000 miles to finish the race."
Now that's the spirit.
I believe I read a story on the current Zimbabwe swimmer - the woman - who said her country was going through such turmoil, that she thought they weren't really concerned about sports and her win (in another meet). But her family told her the opposite. When people of her country heard she had won for them, they were dancing in the streets and cheering they were so proud.
You see the Iranian, Palestinian and Afghani athletes, read about Muslim women who keep training through all the death threats they get for daring to show their legs and their persons in front of strange men. You know about sledders?lugers? from Serbia/Croatia who literally ran through a war zone, dodging snipers to get to the games.
The enormous effort they make to be there, knowing they probably won't win a thing but yet they show and they should be proud and respected no matter their abilities.
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: delalluvia on August 16, 2008, 12:54:05 am ---They mentioned a couple of stories that bring tears to my eyes - the young African swimmer - can't recall his country- last Olympics or so who had just learned how to swim. He wasn't an Olympic caliber swimmer, he was literally a beginning swimmer, yet there he was, dead last, struggling to finish, long after everyone else had packed up and gone home so to speak. People stayed to watch and cheer him on. Another person, from some island country coming in dead last in a race in the Mexico City Olympics I think. Asked why he kept on, he remarked, "My country didn't send me 7000 miles to start the race, they sent me 7000 miles to finish the race."
Now that's the spirit.
--- End quote ---
I remember hearing the story about the runner, too. There is a person with more guts and grit than I will ever have! :)
Artiste:
When I was getting ready to go to bed last night, I turned on the TV News. I learned that China had won... but that it used kids to do so! The child was something like 13, instead of being the legal age of 16!
That reminded me of my thread in which it talks about China abusing children in order to get them to become Olympians! Did anyone see that or hear that?
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