Let the games begin

On Saturday morning, Sydney time, the Olympic games began in Rio de Janeiro. The opening ceremonies are something that I always enjoy watching. Oh there are the boring bits, I'll admit. The speeches go on and on. I do enjoy the music and dancing, celebrating the country's history, but sometimes that gets a little confused and you always wonder which parts of the country's history is being left out. However, my favourite part is the parade of nations especially the tiny countries that have little chance of winning a medal but are just so happy to be there. There is such joy and wonder as those athletes march by.

Now some people complain about the costs of the games. Surely the billions of dollars spent on the games in Rio could have been better used assisting the poor and increasing the social safety net in Brazil.  On this point, I can see some merit. The billions of dollars spent seems to be a lot of money for a 17 day party. Yes some things like improved transit and infrastructure improvements will be of benefit for Brazilians for years. But how many multi million dollar sports stadiums does a city need when so many live in dire poverty?

But despite all of the problems and the huge costs, there are things that the Olympics bring which you can't put a price tag on. Take for instance the picture of the South Korean and North Korean gymnasts taking a selfie. Despite 60 years of war, these two young women showed that maybe peace is possible. The same way during the opening ceremonies both Palestinians and Israelis marched into the stadium. Sixty eight years of being in conflict were set aside. The refugee team demonstrated to the world that hope can come out of the midst of great despair.

In one way, the games are very frivolous. I mean what does it matter that an athlete from one country is faster than an athlete from another country? What does it matter if China hears their national anthem played many times while India might not hear their anthem at all? Life won't change for the better because of this.

But in other ways, the Olympics gives us a glimpse of what we could be. All nations coming together. All nations putting aside differences and playing together. Maybe there are better, cheaper ways for this global unity to be achieved. But for right now, the Olympics is one of the few venues where we can catch a glimpse of what it means to be one global people. Blessings.