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Theresa's Tidbits: Olympics showcase our country, athletes
Theresa Seraphim
for Spotlight
Scene: The speed skating track at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
The 5,000-metre women’s race has just concluded, and Canadian skater Clara Hughes collapses after crossing the finish line – in first place.
The TV cameras show Hughes lying on the track, sides heaving mightily as exhaustion overtakes her.
Then, a woman goes over to Hughes and whispers something in her ear.
Now the cameras capture Hughes’ ear-to-ear grin as, the viewer presumes, she has just been informed she has won the gold medal.
Such unforgettable moments are the stuff that the Olympics are made of.
When Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the modern Olympic Games in the late 1800s, he coined the phrase Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger) to denote his wish that the world’s biggest sporting event would be one in which the best of the best would strive for the best reward – a gold medal.
“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well,” said de Coubertin.
People like Hughes and retired Canadian skier Becky Scott have exemplified that ideal. Yes, they won medals, but even if they had not done so, they put everything they had into their competitions, doing their utmost to win but doing so in a fair, clean way.
That is no small feat when so many sports figures are being called on the carpet due to suspected (or proven) drug use.
The tests are done at these Olympics, and they could result in a shake up of medal rankings.
That’s what happened at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, when Scott, originally third, ended up with the gold medal because the first and second place winners had dope in their systems.
And who knows?
A Canadian athlete could garner several medals, like the five that Cindy Klassen brought home from Turin.
But whether or not they reach the podium, we Canadians can be proud of our athletes. We can also be proud of the hospitality we extend to those of other nations, who have come to compete, to provide any of the myriad services needed, to cover the Games, or to watch (cheering sections are vital, especially on home turf!).
Hopefully, our visitors will go home convinced of our fairness, friendliness, and cleanliness, and these Olympics will go down in history as the most exciting and enjoyable ever.
Let the Games begin!
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