“I hope we see incredible athletics, relaxed tensions, positive reactions between leaders and Sochi, Russia full of mixed cultures.”
Eric Stubben
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Eric Stubben is a mechanical engineering sophomore and Mustang News conservative columnist. These views do not necessarily reflect the opinion or editorial coverage of Mustang News.
The chant, “USA, USA, USA …” still echoes in my mind every once in a while.
Maybe hearing it at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics was when I realized the Olympics were much more than just a bunch of games. Maybe I realized that during the four reports I did on the Olympics during my senior year of high school. Or maybe during my five-year obsession with the movie “Cool Runnings” (okay, I’m still obsessed), I figured out the Olympics reach far beyond their sporting boundaries and deeply into politics.
Needless to say, I’m excited for Sochi. The Olympics stage the best the world has to offer: They delve into the deep cuts of racism, national tensions and international women’s rights. They bring international leaders together much easier than the United Nations ever can. But most importantly, the Olympics display accomplished dreams, successful hard work and national unity that sometimes seem incredibly hard to find within our current society.
In the past, the Olympics were used as a catalyst for domestic politics. The iconic image of Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising a fist for black equality in the 1968 games still resonates today. German athlete Luz Long and American Jesse Owens became close friends in 1936, reaching across racial and political boundaries, infuriating Adolf Hitler.
Internationally, the Olympics have both united and divided countries, usually over political disputes. African countries boycotted the 1976 Games in protest of South Africa’s apartheid regime. Then, the United States and allies boycotted Moscow, Russia’s 1980 Games in protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. More recently, North and South Korea participated as a united team, taking at least a step in the direction to positive diplomatic relations.
What the Olympics do best is cast light on athletes whose lives have been changed through the power of the Olympics. American distance runner Lopez Lomong escaped Sudanese civil war and child slavery before becoming the United States’ flag bearer in 2008. Some of the best track athletes in the world, including Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica, rose out of poverty and now use their endorsement money to fight poverty in their hometowns and countries.
However, 2014 is different.
For the first time since 1980, political relations between the United States and the host country are tense, and violence is a real possibility. Sochi, Russia lies less than 100 miles from a recent string of terrorist-related bombings. Only a narrow peninsula separates Sochi from the Chechnya province, a terrorist stronghold and epicenter for bombings and violence. As if terrorism isn’t a big enough threat in itself, Sochi lies on the border between Russia and Georgia, the small country Russia unexpectedly invaded in 2008. Though it’s unlikely, there is a small chance Georgia could use the Olympics as a large stage for public retaliation and humiliation.
And if Russia’s $50 billion spent on security wasn’t enough, other countries, including the United States, have sent military backup as well.
Shining in the bright spotlight of the Olympics are also things that most people around the world never cared about before and will probably forget about as soon as the torch extinguishes: Russian gay rights and their governmental ban on protests. Though Putin has already relaxed the ban on protests, gay rights could be a hot topic, especially with six openly gay athletes in this year’s Olympics.
As ironic as it is with every country competing against each other, the Olympic rings symbolize unity. Every national flag in the world has a color represented by the five rings.
When times are tense, the Olympics are almost treated as a kind of alternative war between nations purely for a sense of domination. Athletes become our soldiers. Cue the 1980 Miracle on Ice for a perfect example. It’s like when the United States wins a medal count or a significant event, we can hold it over the head of the other countries. It doesn’t really mean anything besides providing a sense of pride and a justified “told you so” to the rest of the world, but we sure treat it like a whole lot more than that.
Truth be told, these Olympics have a lot of room for political disaster. A sputtering global economy, strained relations between Russia and almost every other country in the world and regional violence combine to form a miserable combination. Stories of unfinished venues and trashed construction grounds threaten to spoil Putin’s opportunity to show off. And if things don’t go Putin’s way, well, he’ll make sure the world knows about it.
But what I hope to see from these Olympics is something similar to what Vancouver and many other Games have displayed. I hope we see incredible athletics, relaxed tensions, positive interactions between leaders and Sochi full of mixed cultures. I hope we all get to see the Olympics I got to see; where a Canadian describes every rule of curling to an American — it’s more than just throwing rocks — while pockets of fans across the arena wave their nations’ flags, all in good fun. Here’s to a great Olympic Games and American success.
“USA, USA, USA …”