The Universality of the Olympics

By Bella Lent Illustration by Miah Cheung Layout by Amelia Oram and Ningjing Huang

According to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, “Sport contributes to peace by unifying people.” The widely known Olympic games is a series of international sporting events featuring both summer and winter sports where leading athletes from around the world compete. Many watch the Olympics for its exciting competitive events, while others watch the games to cheer on their own countries. However, one thing you may not have considered is that the Olympics also has a unifying effect to bring the world together through peaceful competition.

The Olympic games has not only achieved global recognition but also gender equality. For instance, the recent Olympic Games has featured 49% female participation, exemplified by the prominent example of Eileen Gu, who recently won a Gold Medal in Olympic freestyle skiing. Her success has sparked the sporting interest of many in mainland China and Hong Kong. The social media platform ‘Weibo’ actually crashed as a result of so many people wanting to watch Eileen Gu’s performance in the Olympics. Through hard work and working many years to achieve her dream, Eileen Gu won a gold medal and is now known worldwide, which inspires other youth to pursue sport.

Moreover, the Olympic games have featured everincreasing diversity among competitors. In 2021, more than 196 countries participated in an array of sporting events, with athletes representing a multitude of cities, religions, cultural beliefs and traditions. The Olympics is an example of who we want to be- members of a thriving, harmonious society. This illustrates how sport can play a role in society today. “Athletes come to the Olympic Games respecting the same rules, all being equal, without any discrimination” asserts Bach. The Olympics fosters international cooperation and peace between nations, and proves that sports can give everyone, particularly young people everywhere, hope for a better and more peaceful future for all nations of the world..

The Olympic Games contribute to the worldwide economy, providing jobs for people in supporting the Games. Every Olympic games brings an increase in tourism and hospitality services. Increased trade from the Olympics also leads to an increase in foreign investment.

There are approximately 10,000 Olympic Athletes, but they live peacefully together under “a roof in the Olympic Village” according to Bach. In light of the current fragility of peace across the planet, the need for the Olympics to be a unifying force is more important than ever. We need friendly competition in order to foster international friendship and understanding between nations, and the Olympics is a good starting point for that.

Lifestyle

Illustration by Michelle Qiu