“plus
ça change, plus c’est la même chose.`` the
more things change, the more they stay the same.
Jean-Baptiste
Alphonse Karr
The blog posting below is a piece I wrote about the Olympics in 2012. I was ´inspired´ to write on the topic again watching the Olympics now from Tokyo. However, re-reading what I wrote in 2012, I realise there is much wisdom and truth in the aforementioned Mon. Karr´s words.
Most of the time with the Olympics, you only have to change the names and the places and it is the same fabulousness all over again. As there is nothing new I can add about all that Olympic fabulousness, I am simply copying the 2012 blog posting.
Well there is one big difference*:
Hosting
the Olympics is a gargantuan task at the best of times, hosting the
Olympics a year late as the world continues to experience a global
pandemic is mind mindbogglingly gargantuan. ... The more they stay the same ...
Well done Japan; I hope your country does not suffer more Covid because you went ahead and hosted the games.....
------------------------------------------------------------------
From 2012.
Yes, I say it again.
The Olympics. Wow oh wow!
Was
n´t the opening ceremony a wonderful crazy creative event? I did
enjoy it. And since then, all those nubile perfect specimens of
humanity thrilling us with the heights they reach in sporting
excellence. I promise, most of the time I am marvelling at the
excellence of their endeavours, not their fabulous physiques. - (Oh
alright, a good bit of the time then.)
And there I am in awe of sports I hardly knew existed, like those sort of space age indoor bike races, and the trampoline competitions. Really it is all such a wonder; I loved the dressage, the table tennis and the fencing too. Just about any sport at such levels of excellence can be enjoyed and wondered at. - Oh it is such a pity hurling in not an Olympic sport, Kilkenny would scoop up all the medals!
Do you know what Kilkenny and Jamaica have in common? For such relatively small parts of the world, they both keep on producing world champions. The county of Kilkenny needs little explanation of course: generation after generation the county produces some of the best hurlers in the world.
Similarly Jamaica produces generation after generation some of the fastest runners in the world. - Did you see how Bolt bolted last night! (Am I the only ´reporter´on the Olympics who thought to make a pun on ´bolt´!). Usain Bolt ran 100 meters in 9,63 seconds. The first man to ever run a 100 metres in less than 10 seconds.
The
Women´s 100 Meter winner was also Jamaican, Shelley-Ann
Fraser-Pryce; at 10,75
seconds Fraser-Pryce´s running time was a mere 1.12 seconds slower than Usain Bolt´s 10, 63 seconds.
How is all that for wowness!
But you know, I would love to hear more on the other participants; the people who after years of hard work, time and dreaming get to participate in the Olympics. And no doubt with great effort on the part of their families, their trainers and community too. I would like to hear those participants´ stories as well. I suppose with so much greatness to report on, it would be hard to report everything in a mere 24 hour day.
But I tell you what, if I was a female contestant in the beach volley ball, I would want to wear the men´s uniform. However fabulous Misty May Trainer et al look, bending over in that little itsy bitys nearly nothing bikini bottom would make me feel I was sharing a tad too much of me with the world.
Back to the excellent sports men and women: To put all that fabulousness´into perspective consider our local swim event.
Last Sunday, we had our own version of the Olympics here in Allensbach: The 33rd Gnadensee-Schwimmen. The Gnadensee-Schwimmen is a 1500 meter swim from the Island of Reichenau to Allensbach, Germany. Always extremely well organized by the local life saving organization and various other groups. About 300 took part in the swim, including moi.
Consider:
At the 2012 Olympics in London
Mr. Yang Sun from China swam 1500m Freestyle at a time of: 14:31:02.
Yes, 14 minutes, 31.02 seconds.
He created a new world record.
At the Gnadensee-Schwimmen in Allensbach
Frau Ehinger from Ireland swam 1500m Rosaleen style, at a time of 57 plus minutes. Breaking absolutely no records of any kind.
See pictures of Frau Ehinger below. Also of Herr Ehinger who was in attendance to show support for the aforementioned Frau Ehinger in the big swim.
As you can see the aforementioned Herr Ehinger was not ´stressing it` at all as he showed his support for his aforementioned spouse!
Happy Summer to you my faithful blog readers - all one million of you - give or take 900, 989!
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