204 National Olympic Committees are represented at the 2024 Summer Games with 54 from Africa, 48 from Europe, 44 from Asia, 41 from the Americas and 17 from Oceania. This year 32 sports will be held within 329 events and with over 11,000 athletes!! Let’s take that in for a moment. Now consider the various cultures, customs, religions and traditions that will be represented. I can’t recall a larger scale that demonstrates inclusivity and belonging!
Ever since the opening ceremony on Friday, July 26th, the Olympics has been the backdrop to my days. I was glued to the television as Paris unfolded before me and the athletes braved the rain to cruise down the Seine River. What a spectacle it was and it’s a moment that will continue to play in my mind for some time. The city is alive! I can feel the buzz thousands of miles away. Each night I find myself rooting for athletes from around the world. Yes, I jump out of my set when the USA takes a medal, but I also find myself doing the same when Leon Marchand of France wins a swimming final or Rebeca Andrade of Brazil takes the silver in gymnastics.
It doesn’t matter where you come from for me to cheer you on. It doesn’t matter that you wear a hijab or break from training to pray, it only matters that the world has come to cheer you on. These athletes are competing on the biggest scale to the largest audience and who can’t get pumped up over that. Culture, race, orientation does not matter here. It is unity and peace that prevails. I have watched swimmers from various parts of the world embrace one another at the completion of a race, I saw the Haka performed by the New Zealand women’s Rugby Sevens team moments after receiving their gold medal and I have seen athletes trading pins with one another. But let’s not stop with the athletes. Like the athletes the fans and coaches represent a myriad of cultures and ethnicities, but there is a feeling of camaraderie among all of them. High Fives are given, and hugs are traded both with the wins and losses. It’s truly a beautiful demonstration of what can happen when you bring people together for a common purpose.
In the current political climate, let the Olympics be a reminder of what can be accomplished when we come together. There are no party lines and there is no division. There is only humanity. Join me as we continue to cheer for these athletes and the leave it all out there on the track, in the pool, on the course and in the gym. There is only one community at the Olympics and that is of the athlete. Nothing else matters.
Enjoy the Olympic season this August!!
