2021 Olympics

Even for the most unathletic among us, the Olympics is a must watch event.  It features the very best athletes from 206 nations, with an amazing 11,238 athletes competing.  With COVID still raging, it seems miraculous that the games will actually happen and for a few days' time, we get to marvel at the very best athletes the world has to offer competing in 33 sports and 46 disciplines.   

As always, there are a few things that have come out in the news recently that mar the Olympic glow a bit.  Becca Meyers, an Olympic Paralympian Swimmer who is both Deaf and Blind, was forced to withdraw from the games when her Personal Care Assistant wasn’t allowed to accompany her to Tokyo.

Let this settle in your brain for a moment.  Her essential support, her mother in this case, wasn’t allowed to accompany her.  She said that she withdrew because she didn’t have a designated Personal Care Assistant in Rio and things sort of fell apart for her.  This decision has left her feeling very distraught, she has lost sleep, she has no appetite and in an interview with CNN she said making the decision to withdraw has made her feel worthless, being a swimmer is her identity.  This is 2021 and while we understand that the Olympic Committee is trying to keep athletes safe during COVID, to have essential needs not met is a particular heartache many of us can empathize with.  This is also a great reminder that Support doesn’t make us weak, but in fact, makes us stronger and more ready to face the challenges ahead.

Becca Meyers released a statement on Twitter regarding her withdrawal:

Heartbroken to share that I’m withdrawing from the Tokyo Paralympic Games. The USOPC has repeatedly denied my reasonable and essential accommodation because of my disability, leaving me no choice.  Her full statement can be found here: https://twitter.com/becca_meyers

So often on the site we see people feeling endless guilt for mistakes made in life, big, small and everything in between, but since we are on the topic of the Olympics, let us introduce to you a major mistake made by the country of Poland.  Poland accidently sent six extra Olympians to the games to compete in swimming events.  Six swimmers who have devoted 5 years to train for the Olympics and because of an epic snafu, were sent home, denied of their dream of competing and winning.  

Two-time Olympian, Alicja Tchorz wrote on Facebook:   

Imagine Dedicating five years of your life and striving for another start at the most important sporting event, giving up your private life and work, sacrificing your family and your dedication results in a total flop.

Mistakes are so often made, but most of yours hopefully aren’t 5 years in the making and due to not reading the rules correctly.  The takeaway, know what you are getting yourself into, know the rules, don’t blindly follow anyone regarding something important in life.  Do your homework and be accountable.  

To conclude we bring your attention to something incredibly positive, which is, after years of rules against athletes being able to protest and take a knee (which is a well known stance against Racism), rules have been relaxed.  Athletes are able to express their views as long as protests are not directed towards a specific country, a specific person and are not deemed disruptive.  The British Women’s Soccer Team and their counterparts from Chile both took a knee during their competition Wednesday, as did the Women’s Soccer Teams from America, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand.  

Your takeaway from this? Don’t give up on things you passionately believe in. Standing up for your beliefs, or in this case kneeling for your beliefs have cost athletes their contracts, so this demonstrates that change is possible.  But change doesn’t happen without a lot of hard work and conviction.  When life seems to throw up obstacle after obstacle, instead of lying on the floor in a fetal position, figure out a way over, around or through.