THAT’S the motto of the quadrennial Summer Olympics in Paris, France that started on July 26 and ends on Aug. 11.
A total 22 Filipino athletes are participating in various events, including athletics, boxing, gymnastics, rowing, fencing, swimming, golf and weightlifting, among others.
Team Philippines fielded 15 female and seven male athletes.
They are the cream of the crop who deserve to represent the country on the Olympic stage. Our current Olympians have earned their spurs in strenuous training and arduous competitions here and abroad.
The participation of the 22 Filipino athletes in the world’s premier sports competition is already an honor and privilege in itself.
However, a gold medal is the ultimate goal, as it bestows recognition the athlete has achieved the feat of having been the best in one’s preferred or chosen sport where the fastest, the highest and the strongest are given due recognition.
Then, of course, there are those who even manage to win not just one but two, three or more medals in different events, thus showing athletic abilities that stand head and shoulders above the rest.
The Olympic symbol has five interlocking rings, colored blue, yellow, black, green, and red on a white field. These rings, internet research tells us, represent the five inhabited continents: Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
The Olympic creed was introduced as far back as the first Olympic Games in Athens: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”
The Olympic motto and the creed encourage athletes to give their best during competition.
Together, the Olympic motto and the creed promote the ideal that giving one’s best and striving for excellence is a worthwhile goal.
Of course, not all those chosen to take part in the Olympics will earn the coveted Olympic medal, whether it’s the gold, silver or bronze.
But the lessons learned from the experience can serve the athletes later on in life: not giving up, but always striving for excellence.
For those whose dreams of Olympic glory may have remained just that—a dream— for one reason or another, there’s always the next four years to train really hard and try again in the world’s premier sports competition.
