The 2016 Olympics in Rio have been in full swing for three days, and I’m loving it even though I haven’t seen all of the coverage. My favorite events are swimming, gymnastics, high diving, and track and field. But I’m still thankful for volleyball, table tennis, bicycling, and basketball.
It isn’t that I’m such a great sports buff. What I like most is that every four years the Summer Olympics give Americans a two-week respite from the presidential election campaign that runs simultaneously. This year’s race has been particularly vitriolic, so I’m more than willing to see some cooperation among countries on the playing field.
Sure there are the doping accusations and the banning of various teams and team members. Sure the Williams sisters were upset in their quest for tennis gold. And sure Bob Costa’s close-ups are belying his age. But the real pleasure is in subduing the constant back and forth between Candidate Clinton and Candidate Trump (Listed here alphabetically. Don’t read anything into this.) and the constant media coverage of it.
The Olympics always offer tender moments that cross country lines and philosophies. Take the selfie of a North Korean athlete and a South Korean athlete that’s gone viral. In the real world, this would never have happened. And, yet, isn’t that part of the Olympic tradition? That people from all countries come together to compete, not in a political arena, but in one where physical ability is honored.
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