The Olympic Spirit !!

The 2008 Beijing Olympics ended on a high note yesterday after 2 weeks of intense competition, fun and mind boggling feats. Though initially the Olympics were marred by the Tibetan dispute,the Chinese authorities did a good job of taking up necessary measures to contain the protest and also ensure that the Olympics went through as planned.

Iam sure this edition of Olympics will be well known for a miscellany of features, including the Tibetian protest, threat of terrorist attack, Phelps World Record assemblage of 8 gold medals, Usain Bolt's stunning Record in Athletics, India's feat of 3 medals in a single Olympic version, Jamaican's domination of the race-track, China's distinction of touching the magic mark of 51 gold medal's.,. The list goes on. Not to forget the impressive Opening and the Closing ceremony, which has made a mark in everyone's heart. Kudos to the Chinese Administration for realising the concepts of Green Olympics, High Tech Olympics and People's Olympics,. They have raised the bar very high and its left to be seen how the next Olympics in London,2012 will match this one.


The Olympic Tag-line for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, “One World, One Dream." has been successfully achieved.,. Owing to the Games, people have been united as one Olympic family, regardless of their nationalities, ethnic origins and cultural backgrounds. Apart from the awe-striking buildings which had come up, the Bird Nest sports ground, Water Cube swimming arena and Beijing Olympic Village, the healthy performances of the competitors stood out. Take the case of swimming, Michael Phelps not only emulated the record of Mark Spitz, he re-wrote it. Same goes with Usain Bolt, who seemed to defy human notions about running,.. What seemed to perplex me and astonish me was the fact that they were quite humbling about their achievements. This is what Phelps had to say about his win:

"The greatest thing is proving nothing is impossible," Phelps said. "So many people said it couldn't be done, but all it takes is an imagination. That is something I have learned."

"Everything was accomplished," Phelps said. "Doing all best times, winning every race." It was a feat that many believed couldn't be done, and he did it in emphatic style.

Seven of Phelps's eight gold were won in world-record time.

And Usain Bolt comments on his dream run, said that he was out there to have fun.,. In a heated-tensed moments of racing, there was this guy who was there to have fun and give his best. Iam sure this is a great lesson to be learnt. People compete to win, but going by the Olympic spirit this guy was there to have fun and enjoy the process.,.No wonder,he made wonder records in 100m,200m and 4 * 400m relay effortlessly.,. The fact that he meant his statement is that he didnt go after matching the record of Carl Lewis, a games icon, by trying his hand at the long jump. He did what he was good at and he did that happily.,.



And about the achievements done by India, this is the first time, India has won 3 medals in a single Olympic version. A 1 billion large country struggling to win 3 medals is a bit strange, yet everything has a beginning. We have a lot more to achieve in coming years yet this version of Olympic's will be evergreen in the history of India's participation in Olympics. And it is the first time,when people in India had started watching others sports with equal interest. Medals in Boxing,Wrestling,Shooting had people discussing about those events and the players in that division, even to the extent of ignoring the ODI match between India and SL, which by itself is a good omen for the Indian Sports.

When Pierre-de-Coubertin, visualized the ideals of an International Games, to bring in everyone from all over the world to strive for a bright future of Mankind with the Olympic Motto "Citius, Altius, Fortius," a Latin phrase meaning "Swifter, Higher, Stronger." Coubertin's ideals are probably best illustrated by the Olympic Creed:

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

Iam sure this edition of Olympics must have made Pierre-de-Coubertin, a real Happy Man. :)

Hats off to the Spirit of Olympics !!