Searching for someone who can lie down with me on a beach, underneath the blinking stars, and just talk for the whole night...
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Some extracts from Guojie's blog "http://chinguojie.blogspot.com/" about olympics, for those who watch olympics just to flow with the trend, to feel hip and sporty, support handsome athletes and whatever, it is worthwhile to spend some time to read these:
"Sports has evolved into an entertainment industry, with spectators more interested in dribblers than goal scorers and swimsuits than swimmers. Fans are more than willing to take it all in, to accept athletes as role models, to worship them and call them “the most focused and talented” people on earth.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge sports fan. But these things we call sports nowadays, I don’t see what other purpose they serve but to entertain. I doubt anyone’s inspired by Michael Phelps’s 0.01s victories of sheer luck. Sports used to be about honour, about fighting for a purpose greater for your own; your country, the ones you love. Now they’re about endorsements. Athletes switch allegiances at the sighning of a cheque.
The Olympics hasn’t really been about the human spirit in decades. It’s been a long time since the Olympics have lived up to the hype, a long time since John Stephen Akhwari finished the marathon with a dislocated knee, a long time since Shun Fujimoto scored a remarkable 9.7 (still an Olympic record) on the rings with a broken knee and an even longer time since Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals in front of Hitler, debunking the myth of Aryan superiority. When asked why he pushed himself to finish the marathon, Akhwari said, “My country did not send me 5000 miles to start the race. They sent me to finish.”
There’s no lack of such stories nowadays, the press just focuses on different stuff, the type of stuff screaming girls (I still haven’t forgiven all of you for the fish tank incident) like to read about.
Did you hear the story of Lopez Lomong, the US flag bearer? Lomong was born in Sudan. As a child, he was held in a detention camp, before he ran for 3 days straight to cross the border to Kenya, where he spent the next 10 years in a refugee camp. He gave up his life savings to watch a telecast of Sydney 2000 and, inspired by Michael Johnson, vowed to run just like him one day. He was finally adopted at 16 and brought to the United States, where he excelled at the 1500m and 3000m. On July 6th, 2007, he became a naturalized citizen of the US.
Here’s another one. A few years ago, a young lady by the name of Susann tuned in to a weightlifting competition on television. On the screen was Matthias Steiner, all 140kg of him, red and puffy from exertion. She was instantly smitten. She emailed him and they met. It was love at first sight and they got married in December 2005. They were happy. Matthias, born an Austrian, had become German, just like his wife. Susann had been starving herself to save money to see Matthias compete in Beijing. But 19 months after their marriage, something tragic happened. Susann was in a car crash. Matthias rushed to the hospital and, as he lay at her bedside watching the love of his life fade into the darkness, he made a pledge to win the Gold in Beijing. A year later, he lifted a massive 258kg to come back from an early deficit and claim the title. Later, at a press conference, a teary eyed Steiner, with a picture of the late Susann in hand, said “she is always with me, in the hours before the competition, she is there… I'm not the superstitious type, don't believe in higher powers, but I hope she saw me. I wish.” I hope that wish came true."
"Everyone’s calling Phelps a champion, a real winner. Usain Bolt too, has been called great. I don’t think they’re quite there yet. I’m not saying they’re not winners. I’m merely proposing that they haven’t proven anything yet. Physical ability, yes. But mental strength, no.
Over the past week, I’ve become cynical. I thought these athletes were champions, real winners."
"I’d like to present the story of Hicham El Gourejj. In Atlanta 1996, a then 22 year old Gourejj was tipped to win the 1500m, but 400m from the finish line, he tripped and fell down on the track. He picked himself up, but finished last, shattered and devastated. In the following years, he broke numerous world records and became the only middle distance runner to claim 4 consecutive world titles. In Sydney 2000, he was more mellowed, and raring to go. However, he could only manage a Silver. 4 years later, in Athens, it was his last chance. He led the whole way, but, in the last lap, he was overtaken by Bernard Lagat. With 100 metres to go, Gourejj found that little extra burst of energy and surged past Lagat in the last 10 metres to claim his first Olympic medal.
All that said, what is a champion? I’m sure most would agree that what makes one great is not in the physical, but in the mind, in the heart. I like to believe that what differentiates a champion is desire. Champions don’t throw in the towel. Champions don’t pray for the game to end so they can go home to their mothers. Champions want to push themselves. They want the pain. Some champions are motivated by commercial reasons, think Tiger Woods. Others, for reasons greater than their own, think Jesse Owens and Matthias Steiner. Either way, they want a chance for greatness. Champions can last forever and, for that reason, in our hearts and minds, they’ll live that long."
No doubt, Phelps is the greatest swimmer ever (in terms of physical ability), but what endowed him with so many Olympics medals is more of the system of the competition. think about it, since running different distances, like swimming, requires very different techniques, what if running is divided into 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1.6km, 2.4km, 5km, 10km, 20km, 30km, 40km and 50km, 4x100m, 4x200m, 8x50m, 16x50m, 110 hurdles, 220 hurdles, 400 hurdles, 800 hurdles, 1600 hurdles, backward running for 100m, 200m, 400m and so on? i think kenyans and jamaicans would get a lot more medals in track alone if this happens. there will be more people like Phelps and Bolts too. what if rowing and sailings and other sports have as many categories as swimming? i think more olympics medalists will be created.
ok, sorry for being too imaginative and irrelevant, but hope you get my point.