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I hope that you have found opportunities to watch the Paris Olympics either through the television or various livestreaming platforms. The agility, speed, strength, endurance and artistry of the athletes is beyond compare. While I certainly root for the American team, I also just marvel at every athlete’s performance. The Israeli team has won a record six medals, one of them gold. To witness the playing of Hatikvah for the medal ceremony gave me chills. The pressure upon every athlete to excel, to go beyond their best, while carrying the hopes and dreams of their families, coaches, friends and country must be incredible. The fact that some have reached a level beyond their peers just makes one shake their head in amazement. I am thinking specifically of Katie Ledecky, the swimmer, and Simone Biles, the gymnast. Katie just continues to improve and excel, leaving competitors twenty seconds behind, which seems like an eternity. For Simone to admit she needed a mental health professional at the last Olympics in Tokyo took a great deal of bravery, and hopefully encouraged mere mortals to also be able to recognize when they too need help and that it is okay to say so and do so. The pressure on her to be near perfect must have been immense, and she handled it with grace, charm, a great smile, and a performance that thrilled all who watched.

Sadly, there are more athletes who receive no medal than those that do. I certainly believe that every athlete competing is already a winner, by virtue of having qualified to represent their country in their specialty. Just processing along the Seine River to the cheers of crowds must have been the memory of a lifetime for so many athletes, a reward for untold hours of practice and sacrifice. While the performances in all fields of endeavor have been incredible, the more important elements of respect and sportsmanship have been on display despite those who withdrew rather than face an Israeli athlete. Olympic athletes attended the competitions in other sports, cheering on those of their country, marveling at the performances, and applauding the efforts of everyone, dares us to wonder if humanity has the capability of doing so in life. Are the Olympics a Shangri-La, a fictitious place that only exists in our imagination, or is it indeed possible for people to get along?

No matter how many times an athlete practices, sometimes they are just unlucky, and getting back up cannot be easy. Three examples come to mind that merit our attention, two in brief: U.S. trail cyclist Haley Batten suffered a broken wheel early in her race yet came back to claim a silver medal. Brazilian gymnast Flavia Saraiva suffered a bad fall in practice yet competed with a black eye to help her team win the bronze medal. Then there was Canadian gymnast Felix Dolci. If you have watched gymnastics, you might notice that athletes put on handgrips before they compete in the high bar or uneven parallel bars. This not only helps them grip the bar and regrip the bar after seemingly impossible moves, but the handgrips also prevent broken hands and wrists.

During the Men’s All-around competition, as Felix circled the bar, he flew off at a rapid speed and landed on the mat. Just lying there, he saw that his handgrip had broken and tore his hand. His despair was palpable. As he arose and walked off the mat, he received an immense roar from the crowd. He looked up, gave a beautiful smile, and make the heart symbol that seems to have become the symbol of gratitude from the athletes to the audiences. According to Olympic rules, because this was an equipment malfunction, he was able to try again, but had to wait until the end, and so he did, despite a nasty cut on his hand. As he attempted a complex move, he slipped off the high bar again, and you could see that he was in pain. The crowd kept encouraging him, and he bravely finished, although sadly dropped from third to twenty-third. He offered a slight smile as he left the mat, to the cheer of the crowd. Fellow athletes and coaches came up to him and hugged him and offered words of encouragement. He will wonder for the rest of his life “what if?”.

The Olympics are not merely about athletic competition. They are about the generous spirit of the audience to appreciate every athlete’s effort, to cheer them and encourage them. It is about the sportsmanship on display, as I witnessed after Morocco beat the US in soccer.  As an American athlete sat on the field and sobbed, a Moroccan athlete sat down next to him on the field and hugged and consoled him. In a world where we might wonder where is the hope, I have witnessed it at the Olympics. Granted, the Olympics are a unique fortnight unparalleled on the planet. But the humanity that I witnessed reminded me that the majority of people on this planet are good, decent people. I feel encouraged.