I have very mixed feelings about the Olympics, and especially the funding that goes into it. I love the patriotic spirit that people show during the Olympics, and I love the showcase of incredible athletic talent. I also value the excitement around physical activity that it promotes with children.
I don’t love that so much money is sunk into so many material things, and that an utter disregard for the long-term impact of the games on the local community is encouraged. I especially loath the amount of spending that goes into it in the big picture, when we have so many areas where support is lacking with real human basic needs. Imagine how many mouths could be fed, how many people given a helping hand up from the depths of poverty, how many school supplies that could buy, or how many hospital beds those millions could help with!
I don’t care for this attitude that Gold is the only medal worth winning, or that we must as a nation be on a quest for ever increasing our medal count. “Own The Podium” doesn’t really sit well with me. Why can’t we celebrate great talent, including that of so many other deserving athletes from around the world?
Yet, I see the light in my children’s eyes as they watch these incredible athletes and know that they will take that and be just a little more excited about mini-olympics at school.. and that a child who is not all that inclined to participate in gym class, might instead latch onto a sport that they only get exposure to 2 weeks of every 4 years in a huge show of exciting races, and become active, rather than sedentary…
Ultimately, I think the world has lost sight of the big picture (was it ever really in our sights though?), and these games could be conducted in a much more meaningful manner.
About Trish
