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7 Days, so many events
Aug. 4th, 2012 09:37 pmI think one of my favorite things watching the Olympics this year is noticing all the exchanges of international hugs, kisses, hand clasps, and congratulations. These are athletes who have already meet on international stages before and on this the biggest stage they show us the rivalries, competitiveness, and often the respect for one another and the shared passion for their sport.
I think more and more about the national pride placed on these athletes and about how truly blurred these lines are, if not always acknowledged. Ye Shiwen, Chinese swimmer and gold medalist world record breaker, came under suspicion for being Chinese and because of China's past misdeed of doping, but she is a product also of Australian coaching. Why shouldn't they claim a piece of her achievement?
Even USA's gymnastics darling Gabby Douglass is a (recent) student of a former Chinese gymnast Chow and the Karolyis coaching the national team, themselves of Romanian stock.
I watched the Australian divers and then blinked at their coaches whose skin claims Asian descent and I would not be surprised if the quality of their diving came in some way from Chinese excellence.
I read about Serena Williams beating Russian representative Maria Sharapova and I think about Sharapova living and training in the USA, having also become the face of quite a few endorsements here. Was it really USA vs. Russia?
I watch these athletes who train and primarily live abroad to perfect their sport or make their living and I wonder what it really means to represent one's country and how the deeper story of globalization is much more complicated. The coverage of these Games probably simplifies the story, these uniforms that bear the name of only one country.
But I watch someone like Chinese diver Wu Minxia share hugs and double cheek kisses with other divers and their coaches with a smile--even seeking out these acts of camaraderie herself--and I think about how these sports can blur borders and widen horizons.
Unless it's soccer. XD
(The scandals are pretty delicious too, if sometimes for sheer ridiculousness. Oh badminton! And if you watch a BBC stream, you get all the highlights of the Great Britain team. XD)
I think more and more about the national pride placed on these athletes and about how truly blurred these lines are, if not always acknowledged. Ye Shiwen, Chinese swimmer and gold medalist world record breaker, came under suspicion for being Chinese and because of China's past misdeed of doping, but she is a product also of Australian coaching. Why shouldn't they claim a piece of her achievement?
Even USA's gymnastics darling Gabby Douglass is a (recent) student of a former Chinese gymnast Chow and the Karolyis coaching the national team, themselves of Romanian stock.
I watched the Australian divers and then blinked at their coaches whose skin claims Asian descent and I would not be surprised if the quality of their diving came in some way from Chinese excellence.
I read about Serena Williams beating Russian representative Maria Sharapova and I think about Sharapova living and training in the USA, having also become the face of quite a few endorsements here. Was it really USA vs. Russia?
I watch these athletes who train and primarily live abroad to perfect their sport or make their living and I wonder what it really means to represent one's country and how the deeper story of globalization is much more complicated. The coverage of these Games probably simplifies the story, these uniforms that bear the name of only one country.
But I watch someone like Chinese diver Wu Minxia share hugs and double cheek kisses with other divers and their coaches with a smile--even seeking out these acts of camaraderie herself--and I think about how these sports can blur borders and widen horizons.
Unless it's soccer. XD
(The scandals are pretty delicious too, if sometimes for sheer ridiculousness. Oh badminton! And if you watch a BBC stream, you get all the highlights of the Great Britain team. XD)
