Beijing Olympics 2022
Perhaps it is how we take part is what is important
“All the runners at the stadium are trying to win, but only one of them gets the prize. You must run in the same way, meaning to win…they do this to win a wreath that will wither away, but we do it for a wreath that will never wither.”
1 Cor: 9. 24ff
The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practised in accordance with Olympism and its values.
What is the purpose of Olympism ?
The aim of Olympism is to show how sport can make us all better citizens through the combination of mind, body and spirit. Its goal is to help foster better relationships between communities and nations, helping us to live in harmony with each other.
There are 7 Olympic values: friendship, excellence, respect, courage, determination, inspiration and equality.
Interestingly there are also 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
“All the runners at the stadium are trying to win, but only one of them gets the prize. You must run in the same way, meaning to win…they do this to win a wreath that will wither away, but we do it for a wreath that will never wither.”
1 Cor: 9. 24ff
The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practised in accordance with Olympism and its values.
What is the purpose of Olympism ?
The aim of Olympism is to show how sport can make us all better citizens through the combination of mind, body and spirit. Its goal is to help foster better relationships between communities and nations, helping us to live in harmony with each other.
There are 7 Olympic values: friendship, excellence, respect, courage, determination, inspiration and equality.
Interestingly there are also 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
I would like to reflect on three aspects of the modern Olympics (Winter or Summer) the Creed and the Oath are the same for both the Olympics and the Para-Olympics, and the motto for the Beijing Olympics.
This year in Beijing they have chosen the motto “Together for a Shared Future” as the official motto of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. The motto represents the power of the Games to overcome global challenges as a community, with a shared future for humankind.
“Together for a better future”. Given the state of our world with climate change and the Covid19 pandemic it is a very laudable statement. However, nothing is ever as simple as it looks and politics always manages to infiltrate these situations. Sadly, the venue for the 2022 Winter Olympics has been hit by a flurry of diplomatic boycotts from countries including the US, Australia, Canada and Britain, because of widespread allegations of Chinese atrocities against the Uyghur community. The athletes from these countries will take part but there will be no diplomatic representation.
The Olympic creed
The creed, or guiding principle, of the modern Olympic Games is from a quote by Baron de Coubertin : “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.”
“The most important thing is not to win but to take part…” From someone who enjoyed a variety of sports in my youth I always had a great desire to win! I have yet to meet an athlete who is satisfied just to take part and have no desire to win. Of course, it is important to take part, to have respect for the other competitors and play fair, but to say that an athlete who has prepared for many years, perhaps most of their life for this one opportunity, will to go to the Olympics without a desire to win is a little naive, I think. Perhaps it is how we take part is what is important.
The Olympic Oath
The athletes take the following oath : “We promise to take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules and in the spirit of fair play, inclusion and equality. Together we stand in solidarity and commit ourselves to sport without doping, without cheating, without any form of discrimination. We do this for the honour of our teams, in respect for the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, and to make the world a better place through sport.”
A very noble and honest statement made by one athlete on behalf of all the other athletes. Yet it is still necessary to have doping tests for drugs throughout the games, drugs that could enhance an athlete’s performance and give them an unfair advantage of their competitors. Where is the honesty, the trust and a sense of fair play among the athletes from around the world ? All sports have become extremely clinical and often the results are so close that it is difficult to separate the athletes with the naked eye so we depend on split second filming and modern technology.
The Olympic Oath
The athletes take the following oath : “We promise to take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules and in the spirit of fair play, inclusion and equality. Together we stand in solidarity and commit ourselves to sport without doping, without cheating, without any form of discrimination. We do this for the honour of our teams, in respect for the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, and to make the world a better place through sport.”
A very noble and honest statement made by one athlete on behalf of all the other athletes. Yet it is still necessary to have doping tests for drugs throughout the games, drugs that could enhance an athlete’s performance and give them an unfair advantage of their competitors. Where is the honesty, the trust and a sense of fair play among the athletes from around the world ? All sports have become extremely clinical and often the results are so close that it is difficult to separate the athletes with the naked eye so we depend on split second filming and modern technology.
The financial cost
There is an enormous amount of money invested in the athletes, e.g., “the highest cost per athlete in the Summer Games was London 2012 at USD 1.4 million per athlete. For the Winter Games, it was Sochi 2014 at USD 7.9 million per athlete.”
I am sure we are aware that all sports now demand huge monetary outlay in order to compete at the highest level. For professional athletes it comes from the actual prize money, advertising and sponsorship, for others, as in the Olympics, it comes from government grants and corporate sponsorship. International companies will pay big money to have the winning sports person as part of their advertising programme.
I have the greatest admiration for these athletes and I am sure I will enjoy watching some of the events over the next few weeks, I particularly enjoy the ice skating.
Some interesting facts :
Beijing is the first city to host both the winter and summer Olympics.
There will be a record number of 109 events.
The estimated cost of hosting the Olympics is USD3.9 billion.
Tickets will not be sold to the public due to the Covid pandemic.
If you haven’t watched the 1981 film “Chariots of Fire” which charts the story of two athletes who race in the summer Olympics in Paris 1924. Eric Liddell puts his faith before taking part in his race because it was scheduled for a Sunday, because his Christian convictions prevent him from running on the Lord’s Day, which makes headlines around the world. He goes on to run later in the Olympics and wins a gold medal. I would recommend that you do so as it highlights that real Olympic spirit. Eric Liddell went on to do missionary work, with all of Scotland mourning his death in 1945 in Japanese-occupied China.
“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles ; they will run and not grow weary ; they will walk and never tire.” Isaiah 40:31
Article written by sister Marion, London community.
If you haven’t watched the 1981 film “Chariots of Fire” which charts the story of two athletes who race in the summer Olympics in Paris 1924. Eric Liddell puts his faith before taking part in his race because it was scheduled for a Sunday, because his Christian convictions prevent him from running on the Lord’s Day, which makes headlines around the world. He goes on to run later in the Olympics and wins a gold medal. I would recommend that you do so as it highlights that real Olympic spirit. Eric Liddell went on to do missionary work, with all of Scotland mourning his death in 1945 in Japanese-occupied China.
“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles ; they will run and not grow weary ; they will walk and never tire.” Isaiah 40:31
Article written by sister Marion, London community.
