As you read this, our very own Olympic athlete Evan Dunfee will be pounding the pavement through the streets of Rio. It’s a big day for him (Friday) as he competes in the 20 km men’s race-walking event at 10:30 a.m. our time; his second event is Aug. 19.
Dunfee has been writing a column, Road to Rio, in the Richmond News leading up to the Olympics. In one, he detailed his training schedule; in another, he profiled each member of his “team” — from podiatrist to psychologist. In yet another, he basically reiterated the monologue that happened in his head throughout a particularly intense race — a fascinating look at mental strategies.
But regardless of what he wrote, the underlying story was always one of passion and determination. It’s truly remarkable what this young man, and probably every Olympic athlete, has put himself through to get to the Games — never mind onto the podium.
And so goes the Olympic legacy. Every Games is filled with stories of grit, grind and inspiration, and not just in competition. A couple of days back, a photo of two gymnasts went viral. It had nothing to do with athletic feats, rather it showed two women, one from North Korea the other from South Korea posing for a selfie. Right now, the two countries are a hair’s trigger away from military action against each other. It’s beautiful to see the Olympic spirit outshine political hostilities.
Now, if we could only see that same spirit outshine the politics of the Olympics themselves, we would really have something to celebrate. As moved as I am by all that’s great about the Games, I can’t entirely ignore, for example, those huge, colourful screens lining roadways leading to many of the venues after I learned they were placed there to hide the desperate poverty that lay behind them.
An obscene amount of money was spent building venues in a country where 26 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line. So why Rio? ...and that’s where allegations of rampant International Olympic Committee (IOC) corruption come in.
A part of me hoped the Rio Olympics would be a colossal failure. That way, we could start again, rebuild from the ground up on the very principles that the vast majority of its athletes embody. That said, it would be heart-breaking for those same athletes to be denied their time to shine, and a loss for us all to share in the excitement, celebration of excellence and cultural connection that the Olympics can inspire.
While I fear that nothing will change if this is yet another “successful” Games (at least in terms of viewership and sponsors making bags of money), I will still be watching Dunfee, and many other athletes, in the coming days. Call it rationalization, but here’s to hoping that the beauty that is the Olympic spirit will eventually imbue the politics that surround it.
Eve Edmonds is the editor of the Richmond News. You can reach her at [email protected]
