Olympic Impact

The Ancient Olympics were competed as an honor to the Greek god, Zeus, so in a sense, they were a religious festival. When Greece revived the Olympics in 1896 who could have known they would become such a worldwide phenomenon. In 1996 my husband and I were living in Atlanta and I was working at CNN, which was in the center of the Olympic circle, with events being contested just steps away from my office.

This year, my husband found himself in Paris and attended three events. Not the marquee events like swimming or gymnastics, but instead went to badminton, field hockey, and team handball.

I love the Olympics and watch as many events as possible. I love rooting for our USA athletes, but root for other athletes/countries as well. This year I have seen a difference in the way the athletes are treating each other in competition, even between the swimmers from the USA and Australia. There is a recognition for the hard work that has been done, and while I’m sure there is no love lost between some of the opponents, sportsmanship has been on display.

The Olympics allow us to observe the athletes using their talents that have been honed to perfection by hours and hours of practice and dedication to their sport. It is a celebration of epic proportions for all of the athlete’s accomplishments.

See you in church!