Olympic Metal

Olympic Metal

The Olympics is supposed to be a gathering of athletes who have worked hard for years to rise to that level of competition. It is a real shame that the choice of an Olympic venue within a country whose politics others do not agree with can, in many cases, negate all the hard work and dedication of the athletes. The Olympics is more than just an athletic competition, it is a way to bring all the countries of the world together. Politics are irrelevant.

I was an athlete in my youth playing football for five years from eighth grade through high school plus a couple months in college before I was injured and forced to quit. I also competed in track and field events in high school, putting the shot and throwing the discus. I learned about the hard work and commitment that it takes to be good in sports, but never once was I asked about my political views. And never once did I even consider not competing because I wanted to make a political protest.

I worked hard back then, but my level of effort and years of dedication pale in comparison to that of an Olympic athlete. Most Olympic athletes work from the time they are children to get that one chance to compete in the Olympics. When they started they did not know where the Olympics would be held, they just knew that one day they would get their chance, if they worked harder than everybody else. Millions try to get there and almost all fall by the wayside, for many reasons. The special few that eventually get there have earned the right, and no one, no country, no philosophy, no political views should stand in the way.

Adolph Hitler tried to make the Olympics a political event and he failed when Jesse Owens beat his best, but have you ever seen the films when the German who lost hugged him after the finish. The German hugged Owens because he truly understood the commitment and hard work it took to get that level. Those athletes left it all on the field. I'm sure the German wished he had won, but he knew what the competition was about. It was about sport, not politics.

The Olympics is not about the host country, it is about the athletes and bringing the countries of the world together as one for that short time every four years! No world leader has to avoid the Olympics because of the host countries political situation and if they do it just shows that leader's ignorance of what the Olympics really is.

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