Outside the Studio

In 1896, French athlete Pierre de Cubertin founded the modern Olympics, reviving the ancient tradition of sports first practiced by the Greeks in 776 B.C. and continued for nearly 12 centuries until eventually banned as a pagan ritual.

The modern Olympics have grown beyond what anyone could have ever imagined. As I watched the Sochi Closing Ceremony, one of the U.S. commentators was Cris Collinsworth, a former National Football League star with a passion for all sports. He said to truly appreciate the Olympics, you have to see them in person. “Put them on your bucket list,” he said, referring to doing things most important to you before you die.

I have had the good fortune as a former VOA sports reporter to attend several Olympics. I even sat with Cris during the 2008 swimming competition in Beijing. I met and spoke with world-class athletes, witnessed many astonishing performances, felt the thundering and deafening roar of every spectator in a packed stadium reacting simultaneously to a singular event.

Cris’ comment coming through my high definition tv made me think if it was still true that “you had to be there.” Comparing what I saw in “real definition,” I can attest watching on modern television is in many ways better. The close up perspectives, sweeping panoramic shots, super slow motion replays all display the action as you could never see it from a stadium seat or standing on the sidelines.

What is different is experiencing the intangibles. Meeting people from all around the world, seeing famous landmarks and actually touching them, smelling and tasting food served in its country of origin, starting each day with the anticipation of things good and unexpected.

I’m not certain of my chances to return to Asia for the next winter games in PyeongChang, South Korea, or the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. I know most people will never have the opportunity to see the Olympics in person. But I do know the competition is now widely shared with stunning clarity, and those watching indeed feel a little closer and more untied for 16 brief days every year the Olympics are held.

As I’ve watched the Sochi Games on television for the past two weeks, many of the highlights reminded me of similar scenes I witnessed in person while covering several Olympic Games for VOA. Perhaps the most poignant moments for me came from the two I covered in Asia, the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Summer Games.

Like the intricate folds of origami, the Nagano Games were an intricately entwined mix of culture, appreciation for the incredible athletic talent on display, and a camaraderie of media colleagues I cherish to this day. The fireworks during the closing ceremony were amazingly brilliant and intricate in their patterns against the cold black winter sky. Coming face to face with the famed snow monkeys near the men’s snowboarding venue was a rare treat.

A decade later in Beijing, the experience was very different. The Chinese pulled out all the stops, beginning with undoubtedly the gold medal standard for opening ceremonies, a world record if you will that will likely never be topped. Everything about the games seemed massive. I was poolside for every gold medal American Michael Phelps hauled in. His record eight victories at a single Olympics were a special part of his 22 overall medals, making him the most decorated Olympic athlete ever. After each event, I’d be standing with Phelps, his short hair still wet, during the first meeting with reporters under the stands before his formal press conferences later.

President George W. Bush was there, and because the security was set up as a zone, I could literally touch his limousine parked outside as I passed by, something I’d never be able to do anywhere else in the world! And contrary to the time since the Olympics, the sky was crystal blue in Beijing for almost an entire week. I could actually see the location of the Great Wall from Olympic Park. It was a rare moment for China, one I was glad to be a part of.