Olympic spirit

The Olympic Games have begun. Hmm. I just haven't really been into the Olympic spirit yet, which is kind of odd since I usually do enjoy watching the competition. Maybe it's because I generally prefer the winter sports to the summer ones. One thing that I've found very annoying is that if you are interested in a particular event, it is nearly impossible to get good television coverage of it. Our official Canadian telecasts jump from event to event with such rapid pace that it's impossible to get into the flow of anything. You get the end of a bicycle race. An inning or two of softball. Five minutes of badminton. And so on. And then they'll cut to an extended commercial break every few minutes. That doesn't exactly make me stay riveted to my seat. My favourite moment so far, was something that I noticed during the opening ceremonies. It was really cool to see the pride and excitement of the athletes from third-world countries. This is something I've never really noted in the past, but my visit to the Dominican Republic (in March, 2004) has opened my eyes to the kinds of conditions that some of these people come from. For someone such as an NBA player, making millions of dollars per year, the Olympics may be a nice diversion from their typical routine. But for the men and women from the poorest of countries around the world, I can only imagine how amazing it must feel for them to walk out into the stadium during the Olympic ceremonies, all dressed up and representing their countries. I was genuinely happy for them.