Mario Cavolo: Letting politics disturb Games insults athletes
March 14 , 2022
By Mario Cavolo, a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization(CCG)
I should have been amazed by the achievements of Eileen Gu (Gu Ailing in Chinese) who won gold medals in big air and halfpipe freestyle skiing, and a silver in slopestyle skiing at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, which concluded last month.
Yet there was more to consider.
The fact is, other athletes, even the ones who don’t win a medal at the Olympics or other sporting events, also accomplish spectacular feats.
Still, any athlete who rises above fierce, capable competitors and wins the gold medal should be admired and praised by all. But apart from being a remarkable athlete, Gu has also achieved success in other fields. She is a fashion model, an excellent pianist and, as the world recently learned, an outstanding communicator when it comes to sharing her thoughts.
These ideas revolving around admiration, respect and achievements are what I think about when it comes to the Olympic Games.
Since the entire world’s attention is focused on the Olympics or other major sporting competitions, the event provides the host country with a good public relations opportunity to showcase the best aspects of its culture and values to the international community.
I also appreciate, admire, even shed a tear of joy when I see someone with physical disability rise above himself or herself to achieve an admirable athletic feat. In life, there are a variety of hurdles and limits which are not visible but still impact each and every one of us.
Yet it is undeniable that individuals with more easily identifiable disabilities hold a special place in our hearts. Think of US swimmer Trischa Zorn, whom many regard as the most successful Paralympian in history. She is also a coach, a lawyer and a teacher for children with special needs.
Natalia Partyka is a table tennis player from Poland, and was born without the right hand. But she is the world’s youngest ever athlete to compete in the Summer Paralympics. She was a part of her country’s squad to the 2000 Summer Paralympic Games when she was just 11 years old.
More recently, China’s Ji Lijia, Wang Pengyao and Zhu Yonggang made a clean sweep in the men’s snowboard cross SB-UL big final at the Beijing Winter Paralympics by bagging the gold, silver and bronze medals respectively. This achievement marks a first for the Chinese team winning all the three medals in a discipline at the Winter Paralympics.
The achievements and efforts of other people may be very important for those individuals. But they also have a positive impact on all those who watch them perform those feats or read about them. In fact, their achievements could prompt us to believe we, too, can test our limits, even become better human beings. This is the spirit of humanity embodied in the Olympics, especially in the Paralympics where we see not only human achievements, but also efforts to overcome the toughest of obstacles.
With those thoughts in mind, it is reprehensible to see any person, whether in government, the media, a private institution, think tank or charity, who insults the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and criticizes the host country by being cold and disrespectful to the achievements of athletes who overcome innumerable hurdles to create a niche for themselves in the world of sports.
The athletes we admire are capable of overcoming what many of us regard as impossible obstacles. But we should also praise those who, despite making their best efforts and stretching themselves to the limit, fail in their endeavor to win a medal. However, there are people who ignore, rather neglect all these facts, to politicize anything and everything not to their liking.
Imagine if you had just achieved your dream and I disturbed your moment of sublimity by inserting the politics of your country’s government into your very personal achievement. Would I be doing justice to your achievement or the accomplishments, no matter how meager, of your country?
As someone who has lived in China for 22 years, I am glad to see the Chinese government and the International Olympic Committee resist such childish antics, upholding the Olympic spirit and showcasing the better side of humanity by creating the right atmosphere for the athletes to make their best efforts and overcome all odds, even if they don’t win medals.
From China Daily，2022-3-14
