SPORTS | Striving for excellence
16 April 2008
About This Issue
Olympics represent a celebration of humanity and our pursuit of excellence
When an Olympic medalist stands at the center of the world stage, a single, eye-filling, heart-bursting moment reveals a lifetime dream come true. We dare say that most everyone on the planet with a television has seen that moment at least once and wondered what it must feel like. For this issue of ejournal USA, we sought out athletes who could tell us.
Every four years when the world’s nations join together in the Olympics, the event spotlights national aspirations and international causes. In 2008, this “celebration of humanity,” as one of our contributors calls it, unfolds in Beijing, a city that has also been striving for excellence as it prepares to welcome the world. We’ll see some of the stunning new additions to the city’s skyline and learn of the Chinese plans to host an event that reflects the goal of “One World, One Dream.”
Yet the heart of the Olympics is a celebration of individual excellence – what the Greeks who invented the Games in 776 BBC called arête. The Olympic veterans who share their stories on these pages reveal the work before the moments of glory, the small victories, and the great disappointments. You’ll read of injuries, setbacks, and days when the Olympic dream was a weak glimmer. The athletes you’ll meet on these pages speak with humility and candor about their experiences on the way to the Olympic Games.
A U.S. gymnast describes his indefatigable dream of making the Olympic team, even moments after an injury that could have ended his career. A Romanian runner tells us about pushing past the physical pain of the last 100 meters. A U.S. soccer player describes how honor can be had in losing well.
In a sense each Olympic athlete’s story is every athlete’s story. The Games remind us of certain universal human values – the need for persistence and tenacity in the pursuit of excellence, acceptance and dignity in the face of failure.
We have also sought the impressions of the journalists who play a vital role in interpreting the moments when the Olympics become more than a sport – incidents like the terrorist attack in 1972 at Munich or the cheating scandals that have tainted medal-winners on occasion.
As the Olympic Games approach in the weeks ahead, some nations and competitors will raise their hopes for victories, and a drumbeat will pound for those coveted medals. Perhaps these pages might remind that the true meaning of the Olympic Games is not the medals, but our shared human struggle for excellence and our devotion to pursue purpose in life.
The Editors
