Sport Essay

How can the values of the London 2012 Olympic Games go beyond sport and competition? Participating in the London 2012 Olympic Games is not for everyone, only the elite athletes however living the values of the Olympic Games is for everyone. Values I saw during the Olympic Games included an acceptance of women's sporting participation, a spirit of never giving up and the learning that comes from not achieving your goals. Wojdan Shaherkhani and Sarah Attar from Saudi Arabia showed the world that all women can participate in sport regardless of gender, race, religion or colour of their skin. These two athletes were the first women to compete at the Olympic Games from their country. This announced to the world that equality and women's rights are to be respected by all. For Sarah Attar it was clear from the start of her heat that she would not win, however she received a standing ovation from the crowd when she finished. In our everyday life we should always encourage all people to participate in sport or any aspect of life. Never giving up was a quality I saw in Oscar Pistorius. He was the first double leg amputee to compete in the Olympics. In the Beijing Olympics Oscar did not qualify for the South African team, although achieving a personal best. This clearly did not discourage him. He qualified for the South African team in 2012. Oscar was eliminated in the semi of the sprint but his team came second in the 4 x 400m relay and now he is the first double leg amputee to win a medal at the able-bodied Olympics. Many of us don't aspire to such incredible goals like Oscar but we can still remember to tell ourselves that when things get tough we should just keep trying. Failing to achieve a desired goal doesn't mean failure. James Magnussen and the freestyle relay team were reported in the media as "failed to win a medal." (News Limited newspapers July 30th, 2012) Although James felt disappointed he said he "learnt something from the experience."