I will return to my story (related belatedly) shortly. First, a quick Olympic update and tribute to a man many are calling "the greatest Olympian of all time".
Citius, Altius, Fortius.
During this past week, I have been fortunate to watch Olympic history being made in Beijing, China. Ever since the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, I have been a huge fan of the Olympic Games (hence referred to as OG for simplicity's sake). I have diligently watched every OG: Atlanta, Nagano, Sydney, Salt Lake City, Athens, Torino, and now Beijing, whether I've been in Round Rock (TX), Cary (NC), London (England), or Chicago (IL). Not being very athletic myself, excellence in sport is something I have long admired in my friends, countrymen, and fellow human beings. The OG offers a chance every two years to witness arguably the highest form of such excellence in sport in the world and I don't want to miss a minute of it if I can help it. I love how the Olympics brings the world together and asks all of those participating and watching to seek the best in themselves. For these all-too-brief fortnights, conflicts can (mostly) be put on hold, disputes delayed, and patriotism rekindled.
Faster, higher, stronger. These adjectives, the motto of the OG, also embody the goal of each Olympic athlete to achieve the superlative of each: fastest, highest, and strongest. This week in Beijing the world has witnessed what may be considered the greatest single performance at an OG:
American swimmer Michael Phelps winning eight gold medals in eight events (5 individual and 3 team), 7 of those in world-record time and the last in Olympic record time.
Yes, he is perhaps the most overexposed athlete so far of these Games. We know what he eats, when he sleeps, what he wears, and how he trains. But we still don't know how he did it. How he made history for the most number of gold medals won at a single Games, winter or summer. How they were all in record time. How they all took place over the course of just nine days. And most of all, how he made many of them look so easy. Was it the new LAZR suit from Speedo? Was it the "faster" pool in Beijing? Was he sent from the future to compete with mere mortals today? Whatever it was, however he did it, we know one thing for sure: Michael Phelps is an incredible athlete and has set a new benchmark many will admire and others will aspire to surpass. Congratulations Mr. Phelps. I hope to see you shine again four years from now in London.
On the Olympics in general:
The modern games, begun in 1896 in Athens, Greece, involve the traditional Olympian events such as the marathon, wrestling, and running, and also include various point-based sports such as soccer, basketball, handball, water polo, etc, as well as more subjective events such as gymnastics and figure skating.
The latter two, as much as I (and millions of others) enjoy watching them, should not be Olympic sports in their current form. Although these athletes are superb at what they do, from leaping into the air and performing dizzying spins to pulling an "iron cross," the ultimate gymnastics feat-of-strength, the judging and subjectivity involved in determining the best performance is just too much to be called a "sport." Real sports are by and large objective; the most (or least) points, the fastest time, the highest height, the heaviest weight, etc. The only subjectivity permissible should come from judging penalties. (For that matter, cheerleading is an athletic activity too, but not a sport).
If I had it my way, the IOC would determine fixed routines of different levels, say "easy," "medium," and "hard." For example, of the four apparatus on which the women gymnasts compete (floor, balance beam, uneven bars, and vault), only the floor would be open to "free expression" or a routine entirely of the athlete's choosing (this would encourage and reward creativity). Athletes can pick any combination of difficulties, from all easy to all hard and everything in between. By having everyone compete from the same pool of routines, each performance can be compared more objectively with the others. For some people, such a competition would be more boring (most likely current gymnasts and former gymnasts who are commentators for gymnastics events). Frankly, most spectators cannot tell the difference between the skills of one routine and the next, but can usually tell the difference between a well or poorly executed routine. Given this observation, people viewing these events will still be entertained and the athletes will be judged more fairly. This system could also be implemented for the men's gymnastics and both men and women's figure skating for the winter Games.
But after all, who am I to judge how Olympic events should be run? I am no gymnast, figure skater, swimmer, skier, hurdler, luger, wrestler, bobsledder, pole vaulter, or athlete period. I do love the Olympic Games, however, and believe that such displays of amazing athleticism should be rewarded with as little bias as possible.
Citius, Altius, Fortius.
During this past week, I have been fortunate to watch Olympic history being made in Beijing, China. Ever since the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, I have been a huge fan of the Olympic Games (hence referred to as OG for simplicity's sake). I have diligently watched every OG: Atlanta, Nagano, Sydney, Salt Lake City, Athens, Torino, and now Beijing, whether I've been in Round Rock (TX), Cary (NC), London (England), or Chicago (IL). Not being very athletic myself, excellence in sport is something I have long admired in my friends, countrymen, and fellow human beings. The OG offers a chance every two years to witness arguably the highest form of such excellence in sport in the world and I don't want to miss a minute of it if I can help it. I love how the Olympics brings the world together and asks all of those participating and watching to seek the best in themselves. For these all-too-brief fortnights, conflicts can (mostly) be put on hold, disputes delayed, and patriotism rekindled.
Faster, higher, stronger. These adjectives, the motto of the OG, also embody the goal of each Olympic athlete to achieve the superlative of each: fastest, highest, and strongest. This week in Beijing the world has witnessed what may be considered the greatest single performance at an OG:
American swimmer Michael Phelps winning eight gold medals in eight events (5 individual and 3 team), 7 of those in world-record time and the last in Olympic record time.
On the Olympics in general:
The modern games, begun in 1896 in Athens, Greece, involve the traditional Olympian events such as the marathon, wrestling, and running, and also include various point-based sports such as soccer, basketball, handball, water polo, etc, as well as more subjective events such as gymnastics and figure skating.
The latter two, as much as I (and millions of others) enjoy watching them, should not be Olympic sports in their current form. Although these athletes are superb at what they do, from leaping into the air and performing dizzying spins to pulling an "iron cross," the ultimate gymnastics feat-of-strength, the judging and subjectivity involved in determining the best performance is just too much to be called a "sport." Real sports are by and large objective; the most (or least) points, the fastest time, the highest height, the heaviest weight, etc. The only subjectivity permissible should come from judging penalties. (For that matter, cheerleading is an athletic activity too, but not a sport).
If I had it my way, the IOC would determine fixed routines of different levels, say "easy," "medium," and "hard." For example, of the four apparatus on which the women gymnasts compete (floor, balance beam, uneven bars, and vault), only the floor would be open to "free expression" or a routine entirely of the athlete's choosing (this would encourage and reward creativity). Athletes can pick any combination of difficulties, from all easy to all hard and everything in between. By having everyone compete from the same pool of routines, each performance can be compared more objectively with the others. For some people, such a competition would be more boring (most likely current gymnasts and former gymnasts who are commentators for gymnastics events). Frankly, most spectators cannot tell the difference between the skills of one routine and the next, but can usually tell the difference between a well or poorly executed routine. Given this observation, people viewing these events will still be entertained and the athletes will be judged more fairly. This system could also be implemented for the men's gymnastics and both men and women's figure skating for the winter Games.
But after all, who am I to judge how Olympic events should be run? I am no gymnast, figure skater, swimmer, skier, hurdler, luger, wrestler, bobsledder, pole vaulter, or athlete period. I do love the Olympic Games, however, and believe that such displays of amazing athleticism should be rewarded with as little bias as possible.
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1 comment:
Wow Sapana -- the first half of this about Phelps actually reads very well. Like, almost professional sounding.
Well done. :)
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