It is a wholehearted salute to all those sportspersons who participated in the Olympic games. Modern olympics began in 1896 at Athens-the venue of ancient olympics. The spirit of citius-altius-fortius (faster-higher-stronger) guides all those sportspersons through this jamboree and beyond. The spirit of sports is much beyond mere competitions and victories ,beyond stories of participation,let alone winning, lies the story of passion,dedication, hope and above all a simple unabiding love for the sport. Be it running or vaulting,gymnastics or swimming, field games or indoor competitions, the stories of sweat ,that of discipline and hardwork is an inspiration to us all. The days of waking up and going out for exercises in wintry mornings when most of us would be comfortably tucked inside blankets, or perfecting those vaulting skills under furious sunshine when most of us would be blissfully under air conditioners.
All that would be forgotten when on the day of the competition, the only goal in front of them is to perform. Each of them would have worked equally hard but the sport separates the whiff from the chaff, brings out the best of them lot, making them the champions in a reward for all the hardwork that was put in. But come another day, even the champion has to start from scratch and then its anybody’s game. Thats why the sport is a great leveller.
And thats what sports teaches us. We adore and celebrate great athletes of our times, but fail to peek into their upbringing. A peek is not just to know about their dedication but to try and adopt it in our sphere of activities too. People in search of success formulas seek everything including divine intervention, but do not grapple the lesson sports give us-that of patience and discipline. The number of failures that these athletes would have endured, the mistakes they would have committed did not make them dejected and lose hope, instead it provided them with a renewed vigour to pursue their goal in even intense fashion. That hope of success kept them going on and on in the search of that elusive medal. This spirit of olympics is not just of sports but should serve as a reminder in our ordinary lives as well.
With the hope that it motivated you to go out into world and emerge successful, to the call of the bugle, placing in your hands,