In applying to have the position of an international volunteer at the Olympics, we not only had to write an essay, take a test and attend countless meetings that prepared us for what we would be facing, but we also had to participate in a mock-debate. One of the debate topics was ‘Is the Olympic Dream dead?’ Now, because it was a debate and you need a positive and negative side, a team had to be on the ‘Olympic Dream is dead’ side. We debated long a hard for our respective sides, but I don’t think anyone that had to make the others believe the Dream was dead actually believed their position. After all, the reason we are here is because we think so highly of the Games. We argued that political drama and/or social drama would put an end to the Games that have brought countries together for ages, but it was all a facade. In reality, most of us here (including myself) think that if the Dream is alive in one person, it will still be carried on. Yes, these Olympics are being held in a somewhat conflictual country, but the reason for the games has nothing to do with the country’s social or political turmoil. The Olympic Games are about sport. Nations come together peacefully to show their strongest, fastest and toughest. The athletes have trained for years to compete, and not letting them show their strength or agility for completely unrelated reasons seems pointless. Being here among the athletes and journalists has really given me strong feelings of pride for the Olympic games. This is truly the largest sporting event in the world and I am so thankful to be here.
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