Let the games begin

In modern times, the Olympic games are dubbed as the greatest show on Earth. Why not? It is a sports competition that showcases the capability of men and women to go beyond their limits.
It is a tournament where champions are made and legends are born. From these were spawned such immortals as Jesse Owens, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Carl Lewis, and others who seem to transcend what ordinary mortals can do.
But more than the accolades bestowed upon the individual athletes is the solidarity and unity it fosters among nations. It is an outlet for a healthy competition that prevents war and catastrophe. Indeed, it is a show unto itself and is looked forward to every four years.
After the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil sponsored the 2016 version of the Olympic Games, the next should have been in 2020. Japan would have been the sponsor. However, the games did not push through last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic that put the world on a standstill.
After more than a year of battling the pandemic, the world is not in a better position than when it all started. In fact, many contend that the worst is still to come, notwithstanding the invention of various vaccines. For our sake and for the sake of the Olympics, let us all hope and pray that the worst is all behind us now.
The Olympics committee is echoing the sentiment of hope. Despite the obstacles confronting it, it is bent on holding the stalled Olympics games in July this year. While others doubt that the games will open as scheduled, the organizers are optimistic that the Olympics will proceed as scheduled. It must. July is just around the corner.
In this time of trouble when people are suffering from disillusionment, are on the brink of giving up, are suffering from mental illness due to the uncertainty of their health, and are robbed of their dignity by an unseen virus, the Olympic games is a major factor that will cure the malaise. It will be the singular most important event that will erase from the memories of the pandemic-stricken people that life remains on the competitive balance. That there is nothing to be afraid of.
In the history of the Olympic games, there were only two instances when it was cancelled, during World Wars I and II. Each time the Olympic games was cancelled, it marked the darkest moments of world history. It was a time when the Earth was fractured by evil. It will not be different if the Tokyo Games will be cancelled this year. It will not speak well of the desire of the human race to overcome the challenge that is confronting its very existence.
“Faster, stronger, higher, and better.” This is among the mottos of the Olympics. What better way to encourage mankind to be “faster, stronger, higher and better,” than today. Not necessarily in terms of athletic ability, but in overcoming the pandemic. Faster in contending against the virus, stronger in overcoming our ailment, higher than our fears, and better than what we perceive ourselves capable of.
The Olympic games is more than an athletic competition. It is a mirror of ourselves. It is an image of healthy living and an icon of irrepressible hope at its finest.
So, on July 2021, let the games begin.