More than sixty years ago, my father, Dr. Charles Bucher, wrote an article that appeared in The Reader’s Digest. Dad was a Professor at New York University and the author of more than twenty textbooks on the subject of physical education and recreation.
In this article, he made the point that the Olympic ideal is dying. He quotes Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator and founder of the International Olympic Committee. Coubertin said, “The important thing is not winning, but taking part; the important thing in life is not conquering, but fighting well.”
Actually, this philosophy seems more closely aligned with what I observe each year at Special Olympics. The motto of Special Olympics, which all athletes repeat at the start of competition is, “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” While Special Olympics awards gold, silver, and bronze medals as well as ribbons for different athletic events and different abilities within each event, these awards symbolize that athletes have done their best, regardless of the challenges they might face. Recently, the effort I saw being expended by a special Olympic athlete who was competing in the 25 yard freestyle race compared favorably to Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky. Even though this SO athlete had only one arm, he was using that arm to propel himself as best as he could, going round in circles as he slowly made his way to the other end of the pool.
My dad concluded the article by stating the emphasis in the Olympics should be on making friends, not making points. He felt that given the founding principles of the Olympics, winning with grace and losing with grace was much more important than the medal count of an athlete or nation.
Is the Olympic ideal dying? Consider the two runners who collided with each other in the women’s 5,000 meter run. Their legs became entangled, whereupon they both fell down. Even though one of the athletes was severely injured, they both stopped dead in their tracks, more concerned about each other than finishing the race. Consider what an American fencer said after she became the first American athlete to compete in the Olympics wearing a hijab. “I feel like it’s a blessing to be able to represent so many people who don’t have voices…” The theme of taking part and doing your best was echoed by still another athlete, Kristin Armstrong. After becoming the oldest woman to win gold in cycling, Armstrong said, “I have always loved that we were all born with the power to believe and to believe in ourselves. You can set a goal and go accomplish anything…” These positive examples grabbed the headlines, but there were many more.
Sure, there were athletes such as Hope Solo, the goalie for the American women’s soccer team who referred to the team that beat them as a “bunch of cowards,” and Ryan Lochte, an American medal-winning swimmer whose behavior after a night of carousing showed he has a lot of growing up to do. Solo, Lochte, and numerous others who lost sight of the Olympic ideal would do well to volunteer each year at Special Olympics. They might learn something about sportsmanship, priorities, and hopefully, themselves.