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Are the Olympics all about gold medals?
by Feifei Guo
I went to see the 2008 Australian Olympic Team Homecoming celebrations which began in
Supporters waved Australian national flags and shouted medalists’ names when hundreds of Olympians walked down the street. Libby Trickett [1] became the most popular athlete who won two gold medals in swimming from
The British dig at Australian by saying, “What the bloody hell were you? [2]” as this is the first time
The
When Michael Phelps [4] won his eight gold medals in swimming pool, you couldn’t escape from the media coverage talking about his success.
Two weeks ago, there was an Olympic celebration for Chinese gold medalists in
I do understand our patriotic hearts. Gold medals are our national pride, and gold winners are our heroes. However, are the Olympics all about gold medals?
We watch the Games day and night, share athletes’ pain and pride. We want to know how good our county’s sport is. We hold high expectation for our Olympians. We do care about how much gold medals our athletes can win.
But the Olympic Games are a global party. They are truly about participation and enjoying sports. We do not only compete for gold medals, but also share different cultures and bring our countries together.
Although
“No, I don’t feel any disappointment at all. Our athletes were all doing their best in the game. I think the Olympic is about participate, I don’t care how many golds we can get,” Mr Linch, one of the Olympic supporters, said during the Welcome Home Parade. He also pointed out the Homecoming Parade should hold two weeks later, as the Paralympics athletes could also join the celebration.
Mrs Morris, another Olympic supporter with her four children around, her also said she wasn’t disappointed with the 14 gold. “All the athletes are heroes. The Australian team did a fantastic job in
Thanks for the Olympic athletes, as they all contribute to the country and let us to be proud of them. Thanks for the supporters, as most of them understand what the real Olympic spirts are.