At the moment we have the 2008 Beijing Olympics taking place.
Beijing 2008 Olympics Logo
It is a time when politics, religion, beliefs, cultures are put to one side, and that we get together in the name of sport to compete with each other on an even footing, the same field, and in friendship.
Eddie the Eagle, a British ski jumper, the only ski jumper from Great Britain. Eddie’s real name Michael Edwards decided he wanted to become an Olympian, and entered to represent his country, to compete in the Winter Olympics in Calgary in 1988.
Two years earlier he started to learn to ski, and with borrowed skis, no sponsor, Eddie the Eagle with no trainer, and no snow, learned to ski jump, mostly over buses.
Eddie the Eagle
His glasses were thick, bespectacled like bottle tops, he was getting thin on top, loosing his hair, a non sports man, over weight, and as was said to be a buffoon. Yet Eddie captured the hearts of the British nation and the world. He became a celebrity, a hero, an ordinary man wanting to represent his country.
The IOC said Eddie the Eagle was a comedian and made a mockery of the Games. Fellow competitors said that he was making a joke of their sport. But he became the center of attention, people tuned in from all over the world to see Eddie fly. He did not kill himself. He did not win, in fact he came 98th out of 98 competitors. But he competed.
In the Sydney Olympics 2000, Eric Moussambani, a swimmer from the central African nation of Equatorial Guinea, entered the 100 meters race.
Eric Moussambani
Eric Moussambani became known as Eric the Eel, and, he won,and he captured the hearts of the world.
He had only learned to swim nine months earlier, never having swam in a 50 meter pool. He was twice as slow as any other competitor in the competition. In his heat, the two other competitors were disqualified for false starts, so he swam alone, being cheered on by the crowds.
In the same Olympics, a fellow compatriot Paula Barila Bolopa, to become known as Paula the Crawler competed in the women’s 50 metres freestyle, and recorded the slowest time ever recorded for the event. In an interview after the race she said, “It’s the first time I’ve swum 50 metres. It was further than I thought. I was very tired.”
Paula Barila Bolopa
Philip Kimely Boit, entered the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Boit was from Kenya, a middle distance runner, and with no previous experience, and no snow in Kenya, entered the 10-kilometer classic ski race. He came 92nd out of 92 competitors, and was so slow, the medal ceremony was delayed for him to finish.
Philip Kimely Boit
These competitors show the true meanings of the Olympics, to compete, to do ones best, be courageous, not to cheat.
I thought that the Olympics were an amateur sport, for non professionals. But then there are the David Beckham’s (football), the Roger Federer’s (tennis), why are these competing?. Should the Olympics be for the ordinary athletes? The stars mentioned above.
Then I read about the background of the athletes, and they are true professionals. They earn their living by the sports. They work from 9 – 5 as any factory or office worker, practicing, exercising, and they have a whole industry behind them, doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, trainers, agents.
It is because they are becoming professionals that records are being broken, they are winning, sport is a money making machine.
Pity really.