Olympic Moments

There are many ways to enjoy the Olympic Games. As a country, we seemed obsessed with the medal count, forgetting that only a small percentage of the 10,500 athletes will win a medal.

I find the most inspirational Olympic stories have little to do with medals won. These stories remind us that the Olympic spirit, one of courage and sacrifice, is found in all the athletes, no matter where they place.

One memorable story from this year’s Olympics features the IOC Refugee Team. Training for the Olympics demands the utmost from every athlete, but imagine training while being a displaced person, living at the mercy of another country. The 2024 Refugee Team comprises thirty-six athletes from eleven different countries of origin. We might think that this team represents a small community, but these thirty-six athletes represent over one hundred thousand refugees in the world. One athlete from the team, Cindy Ngamba, from Cameroon originally, is set to win the first medal for the Refugee Team, her medal coming in women’s boxing. It seems poetic justice that the medal will be in fighting, as fighting isn’t just sport to refugees. Fighting is what a refugee must do every day to survive.

The Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade is also a fighter. Growing up one of eight children to a single mother in one of Sao Paolo’s slums, Rebeca didn’t always have the bus fare to travel to the gym. When that occurred, one of her brothers would escort her on the two-hour walk each way. Rebeca has also overcome three ACL surgeries to compete in the sport she loves. In this Olympics, Rebeca surprised the gymnastic world by defeating Simone Biles for the gold medal in floor exercise. A moving photo available on the internet shows Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bowing down toward Rebeca as she receives her gold medal.

The 2024 Summer Olympics will also be remembered for the presence of 140 Ukrainian athletes and the absence of Russian and Belarusian athletes. It’s hard to imagine a country that is fighting for its independent existence being able to send even ten athletes. Every one of the Ukrainian athletes must wonder if their independent country will exist when the next Summer Olympics take place in 2028.

Finally, I hope we never forget Kimia Yousofi, an Afghan sprinter, competing for Afghanistan even while living in exile in Australia. Ms. Yousofi recorded the slowest time in her event, the 100 meter dash, but it was what she did after her race that will be long remembered. She lifted her race bib to reveal to cameras around the world three messages: Education, Sport, and Our Rights. It was a message addressed to the Taliban, which has severely restricted the rights and activities of women after returning to power. I can’t help believing that Ms. Yousofi, even though finishing last, won something more important than a medal.

Every Olympic athlete has overcome incredible odds to be in Paris, but few have overcome what the Refugee Team, the Ukrainian team, Rebeca Andrade, and Kimia Yousofi have surmounted. Though they have won few medals, I hope their courage and sacrifice will never be forgotten.