For two weeks every two years, the world holds its breath and watches as we send our country’s finest athletes to compete for a medal. The Olympic Games bring countries out of their political conflicts and debates to come together to watch their athletes shine. They give us a rare and powerful reminder of our shared humanity.
The togetherness of the Olympic Games is not just for the athletes but for spectators, people back at home watching from their TVs, and the dreamers who hope that it will be them one day. From the opening ceremony to the ending medal count, the games transform competition into lifelong connections, heart-warming stories and memories to last forever.
Whether you watch sports regularly or not, the Olympics are for everyone. Watching the Olympics every two years brings a new sense of excitement to my life. It allows me to go home and see who won events that I’d never be watching normally, and I gain an emotional connection to people I don’t even know. They also effortlessly give me someone to root for and believe in. Whether it’s crowding around the TV with my family, debating who should have won with friends at school, the games create instant connections.
In 2015, the number of people displaced from countries in conflicts like South Sudan, Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo reached an all-time high. Millions were living in refugee camps or resettled in other countries, among them brilliant athletes who had lost their opportunity to compete for their home nations, maybe forever.
In 2016, the Olympic Committee introduced the Refugee Olympic Team, which still stands today as one of the most powerful heart-warming examples of how the Olympics bring people together beyond borders and politics.
In 2015, Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, declared that refugee athletes would be allowed to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics under the Olympic flag rather than under a nation. That summer in Rio de Janeiro, 10 athletes competed under the Olympic flag as refugees. Including refugees, the International Olympic Committee shows how these athletes can come together despite conflicts and hardship to all reach the same goal.
For a few weeks, differences fade, and humanity takes center stage. In a world so often divided by politics, conflicts and borders, the Olympic Games, every two years, give people a reminder that unity is possible for us all. The refugee team shows that the games are about more than just medals and national pride — they are about people, perseverance and a shared dream.
Whether we are athletes, spectators or hopeful dreamers, the Olympic Games remind us how we are more alike than we are different. Beyond flags and medals, the true power of the games lies in their ability to bring nations and hearts together.
