When My Baby Smiles At Me....

      If you have not heard the question yet, you likely will:  When do the Olympics start?

       There are several answers. 


        They begin Friday, the 5th.  That's when the Opening Ceremonies are to be held.
        They begin Wednesday, the 3rd, that's when actual competition begins, there are several soccer matches that day.
         They've already begun, they never really end, municipalities and athletes are always preparing for the Games of some Olympiad.


          Finally, there could be a case made that they don't really begin until September 7th, when the Paralympic Games open.


         Whatever your choice, here come the Games!


         In this corner, we see the games as a good thing.  We look forward to the competition, the pageantry, the fun.  We try to keep in mind that the Games are one way to bring young (and not-so-young) people together to showcase their talents.  Can that really be bad?


         Yes, the Games are an expensive proposition, and the money could be "better spent."  Yes, Rio itself has significant poverty issues to address.  Yes, there are doping scandals and there will be cheaters and we can only pray that spectators and competitors alike remain safe for the next five or six weeks in Brazil.  All very true.


      But we can also marvel at the Equestrian from Great Britain who guides her massive horse over obstacles, fault-free.  We can gasp when a seventy-pound gymnast somersaults on the four-inch wide balance beam.  Marathon.  Swimming.  Cycling.  Table tennis.  Archery.  Badminton.  Golf, for God's sake, for the first time in more than 100 years!


     Baron Coubertin wrote the athlete's oath, still recited at the opening of each Olympiad:


     "In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic games, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams."


     Not bad, Phil.  Not bad, at all.


*  The title of the blog entry comes from "Go To Rio", a 1976 song by Peter Allen, later covered by rock legends Pablo Cruise.