You may be aware, dear reader, of Canada's "Own the Podium" campaign (http://www.ownthepodium2010.com/) that has been gathering momentum and controversy since its inception. The funding generated by this unprecedented effort to support Canada's athletes has earned both praise and derision. The US Olympians joked about how they were going to "rent the podium" in Vancouver. At the time of writing (early on February 27, 2010: the penultimate day of the Games), Canada lies in third place of the medal count with the most golds--ten. Our population is about one-tenth that of the US and less than half that of Germany, the two leaders in the total medal count. However, Norway, with a population of under five million, is fourth, not far behind. Frankly, even though I have been patriotically watching many of the Olympic events, I am conflicted about the excessive commercialism and jingoism. If I see one more trite product billing itself as the official such-and-such of the 2010 Olympics, I may not be responsible for my actions. However, I did buy at The Bay a beautiful Canada winter hat with earflaps. The Olympic spirit, rooted in amateur athleticism for the joy of sports, has been tarnished over the years by performance-enhancing drugs, spoiled, wealthy professional athletes and commercial excess. Nonetheless, one catches glimpses of what is inspiring about the Games: Alexandre Bilodeau's gold medal run in moguls skiing, with his disabled brother cheering him on; Joannie Frechette's bronze medal performance in women's figure skating only days after her mother's sudden death; Jon Montgomery's skeleton gold and subsequent partying in the Olympic village when he was drinking straight from a pitcher of beer; the "Snow Leopard" from Ghana, the first winter Olympian from his country, who finished 52nd in the slalom. Every two years, the world comes together to follow the Olympics, at least those who have access to cable and/or the Internet. We raise the flag, sing the anthem and tingle the old nerves when we support our country's athletes. And when one of our own wins a medal, we rejoice. With the billions of dollars, all the hype and politics that go into every Games, is it worth it? I am not sure we can accurately assess the Olympics' value to humanity. However, over the past two weeks, I have been moved by the tenacity of the human spirit. Okay, so it's not the gravity of the Haitian earthquake; but if you strip away the excessive commercialism and rampant nationalism, you can see the essence of what makes athletics uplifting. Odium aside and some downside, lest we deride, there is a podium upside--owned, rented, leased or merely over vied.
