Let the games begin!
You know what? I love the Olympics. Throw the absolute weakest sport into the Olympics (synchronized swimming?), and as long as the event has anything to do with my country, you bet I want to see an athlete draped in the red, white and blue flag standing on the winner's podium. It's been a thrill seeing Michael "The Human Fish" Phelps embark on his quest to become the most celebrated athlete in Olympic history. That by-a-thumb photo finish to keep his streak alive in the relay was nothing short of glorious.
The beauty of the Olympics even seems to shed light on China's abuses to its people and the planet, whether its the wide-pan shots of toxic pollution swallowing Beijing like a snow globe or the journalists who write stories complaining that they can't even use the internet. My favorite Olympic-centric story has to be that of the Sudanese 'lost boy' Lopez Lomong, United States Olympic 1,500-meter runner and opening-ceremony flag-bearer. Lomong, 23, was one of thousands of children forced to migrate from their homes in Darfur due to war. China's attempt to silence protest, whether its the "free Tibet" crowd or the "stop the genocide in Darfur" group, withers in the light of the Olympic flame, a testament to the unpredictable freedom an equal, athletic contest offers.
Consider, for a minute, the most celebrated American track star of all-time: Jesse Owens. Owens, who is buried in Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago, throttled the Nazis in the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany. Under the direction of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler hosted the games as a propaganda tool, a testament to Germany, a showcase for the blond and blue-eyed Aryan race and their superiority over mankind. Lewis dominated the Berlin games, winning four gold medals, smashing Hitler, the Nazis and anyone else who makes character judgments based on the color of one's skin. Here's to you Jesse Owens! Here's to you Lopez Lamong! And here's to the enduring majesty of the Olympic Games.
The beauty of the Olympics even seems to shed light on China's abuses to its people and the planet, whether its the wide-pan shots of toxic pollution swallowing Beijing like a snow globe or the journalists who write stories complaining that they can't even use the internet. My favorite Olympic-centric story has to be that of the Sudanese 'lost boy' Lopez Lomong, United States Olympic 1,500-meter runner and opening-ceremony flag-bearer. Lomong, 23, was one of thousands of children forced to migrate from their homes in Darfur due to war. China's attempt to silence protest, whether its the "free Tibet" crowd or the "stop the genocide in Darfur" group, withers in the light of the Olympic flame, a testament to the unpredictable freedom an equal, athletic contest offers.
Consider, for a minute, the most celebrated American track star of all-time: Jesse Owens. Owens, who is buried in Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago, throttled the Nazis in the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany. Under the direction of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler hosted the games as a propaganda tool, a testament to Germany, a showcase for the blond and blue-eyed Aryan race and their superiority over mankind. Lewis dominated the Berlin games, winning four gold medals, smashing Hitler, the Nazis and anyone else who makes character judgments based on the color of one's skin. Here's to you Jesse Owens! Here's to you Lopez Lamong! And here's to the enduring majesty of the Olympic Games.