The Return of the Olympics!

My dream (despite how unrealistic it is) has always been to make it to the Olympics because I think that being an Olympian is one of the highest achievements an athlete can make in sports. Olympians compete on the world stage and represent their country in doing so. The Olympics include many athletic events that occur every two years (Summer Games alternate with Winter Games), that unite countries and unite the world through the passion of sport. This two week event features the greatest athletes from participating countries who have spent years preparing to compete in sports such as ice hockey, snowboarding, skiing, figure skating, curling, bobsledding, etc. (Winter Games), as well as soccer, swimming, gymnastics, athletics, etc. (Summer Games).

The host city and country takes on a huge commitment by hosting the Olympic Games because a lot of planning and money is required. Historically, host cities have either thrived from holding the games, or were saddled with a multi-year debt because the billion dollar venues were virtually abandoned after the medals were awarded. So it is a crazy risk to invest into something that could either make or break the economy of a city. Russia took on the task of hosting the Winter Olympics this year, through which they showcased their country, their history and their culture. In fact, the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia attracted around 2,850 athletes from 88 countries. Roughly 3 billion people watched the Olympics (1). Needless to say that the world was watching and participating!

However, maybe a little too much of Russian politics was portrayed during the Olympics because the host city seemed to run into difficulties that were often tied to the politically unstable state of their country. Death threats were sent by extremist groups, risks were taken, and the seemingly unprepared Russia held this worldwide competition from February 7 to 23, 2014. These Winter Games also sparked a lot of controversy that sometimes took away from the positive spirits of the Olympics. I think that the Olympics promote team spirit, equality, inspiration and national pride, but the 2014 Olympics also seemed to be affected by human rights and morality issues. Aren't the Olympics about the love of sports and not politics?

Despite the threats and the unfortunate distractions, there were no major incidents during the games, and the competition itself was both successful and exciting. In the next series of blogs, I will share some thoughts about the choice of location, the cost of hosting the games, the impacts, as well as other aspects associated with the Olympic Games in Sochi.  

(1) http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/04/sport/sochi-winter-olympics-by-the-numbers/