I love the Olympics - really. NBC's coverage of these games has been abominable - the color commentary has at times been mean-spirited and sickeningly pro-American. The ego-fueled spats and disputes between speedskaters Chad and Shani has overshadowed the grace and civility of Joey Cheek. The vacuous hype surrounding Bode Miller and Michelle Kwan has detracted from coverage of those actually achieving their dreams.
I was losing my faith in the Olympic spirit. I remember watching that one swimmer (from Senegal, I think) who out of the blue won a gold medal in one of the major events. I also remember another swimmer who could barely finish the race - but the crowd stayed and cheered its hardest when he touched the wall. I love watching the parade of nations, when countries with 1/500th the GDP of California send athletes who train in warzones, in poverty, in the most unimaginable conditions, and they compete alongside the training-spoiled lucky ones who come from rich countries with $$ generous sponsors. Because at the starting line - they are, for one moment, equals.
In any case, I saw this article and was touched by it. Kudos to the Norweigans - who I think are leading the medal count by a long short - who unwittingly forgoed yet another medal by helping a Canadian team reach its dream.
That action is the epitome of what should underly the Olympic spirit. Not just the drive to win (after all - there are 3 medals) but respect for athletes and their sport and the desire to see all do the best that they can!
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