Moving away from Tilbury Dock, I stare at the Thames River for the first time and exclaim in amazement at its form and beauty. I begin to wonder how such a body of water could supply water across London. I wonder what each water droplet possesses to decide to cohesively bond with other droplets, to flow in household and industrial pipelines. And I find the answer when it begins to rain. As I am seeking shelter, I see the many ripples that result from a single one and I decide that water droplets have a strange but exquisite way of empowering each other towards a common goal. This is how I see the goals of the Olympic values, altogether making differences in people’s lives and empowering these people to make a difference in others’. The problem I see with today’s Olympic values is that they end with the celebration of the Olympics and with the Olympic Committee implementing projects in different countries. In order for the fire of values to cross borders, it has to be passed on from one person to another.
When I say ‘person,’ I look at the many non-athletes around the world that sports could impact. Specifically, I see the problem of obesity and other diseases resulting from an unhealthy lifestyle. If we could only take a stand and encourage these young people to engage in sports and embrace a healthy living, millions would be saved from death’s wrath. I propose a public initiative headed by the Olympic committee to take a stand on the issue of obesity and encourage people to lose weight by engaging in a sport. This initiative (through media ads) should be backed by simple sports training (one that people could easily learn and teach to other people) for the individuals concerned.
When I say ‘person’, I also mean the many aspiring athletes who could not afford to train in good schools in order to realize their fullest potentials. In my school, we have alumni scholars who contribute to a scholarship fund in order to aid more scholars in earning a degree in college. In light of this, I also wish to propose that professional and young athletes who embody the Olympic virtues aid more athletes to reach their fullest potentials. This could be achieved by their contributing to a common fund and using the fund to give sports scholarships to aspiring athletes, ensuring that those athletes will do the same for future athletes.
But most of all, when I say ‘person’, I also mean the athletes around the world who are given the chance to exercise their potentials. Just like the Miss Earth pageants where finalists are each given social responsibilities to be stewards of the Earth, so Olympic winners must do the same. After winning the Olympics, I propose that they engage in a socially responsible activity in their respective countries that will showcase their talents, not only for the service of the Olympics but for mankind.
Let the Olympic fire continue to burn…
When I say ‘person’, I also mean the many aspiring athletes who could not afford to train in good schools in order to realize their fullest potentials. In my school, we have alumni scholars who contribute to a scholarship fund in order to aid more scholars in earning a degree in college. In light of this, I also wish to propose that professional and young athletes who embody the Olympic virtues aid more athletes to reach their fullest potentials. This could be achieved by their contributing to a common fund and using the fund to give sports scholarships to aspiring athletes, ensuring that those athletes will do the same for future athletes.
But most of all, when I say ‘person’, I also mean the athletes around the world who are given the chance to exercise their potentials. Just like the Miss Earth pageants where finalists are each given social responsibilities to be stewards of the Earth, so Olympic winners must do the same. After winning the Olympics, I propose that they engage in a socially responsible activity in their respective countries that will showcase their talents, not only for the service of the Olympics but for mankind.
Let the Olympic fire continue to burn…
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