The Sochi Olympics

Play Like a Champion Founder and Director Professor Clark Power recently published a commentary on the Sochi Olympics on the Huffington Post.  The original post can be found here, or is summarized below.

On Monday, February 10th, after a weekend of Olympic competition, Clark Power wrote:

In spite of the protests over gay rights, threats of terrorism, and complaints about the extravagant cost the Sochi Olympics will celebrate what is at the heart of the Olympic movement itself  – the capacity of the human spirit to transcend seemingly unsurmountable physical and social barriers.  The Olympic Games are and have always been a demonstration of how sports can elevate human achievement, foster a sense of friendship, and forge enduring bonds of friendship across national, ethnic, and religious differences.  

Although the Games involve a relatively small number (2,850)of the most elite of athletes, an estimated 3 billion people worldwide will watch the games on television.  Participants and spectators alike will share in the triumphs and disappointments of athletes.  Together we will realize to a degree Coubertin’s dream of world peace based on a common love of sport and of the struggle for excellence.

At the core of the Olympic Charter is the bold assertion:  “The practice of sport is a human right.”   The games belong to all the people of the world, and the right to participate in sport is a universal one. 

To read the full text of Professor Power's article, please click here.