Tag Archives: Society

More and more, the time lag separating athlete’s position is dwindling. The performance were evaluated in seconds, then, in tenth of seconds, now in hundreth… Soon, in three decimals after the second?

Drug use is the great temptation for an athlete who gave up so much of themselves for the podium. The genetic lottery favors some more than other. Hi-tech materials and fabrics do the rest. Despite the tech, a youth comes so close to the podium…

Do you remember the 2nd, 3rd place in a game? (And the fourth, which I call the chocolate medal). In those great expectations, with the new drug tech emerging each year, the temptation is strong… for the athlete and or the trainer! And woe to the stadium star who has fallen!

And the efforts sometime do not bring the results. We saw a sad accident happen.

We heard the commentators for weeks: Canada should bring 15 medals, no 20, and at least 5 gold…

I do not like this attitude of “reserving” medals, as if it were a due. Many countries, with few means, will live the Olympic ideal, participate without winning. And 8 or 10 developed countries, pouring millions in training and trinkets (while the province of BC cut the art budget from 46 millions to… 3 millions), make the prognostics.

So: all athletes won’t win the first place, but all will participate. And it is an accomplishment just to be chosen for the Games…

To all of you, athletes, I give the chocolate medal, 65% cocoa !

:^)

_Great Expectations_ refers, of course, to the Charles Dickens’ novel.