(By Solomon Mahoi, [Pseudonym, Abck Obba])
August 15, 2024
From the lighting of the Olympic Flame to the flag parade of the participating nations to the spectacular lightening displays of the opening ceremony's grand stage, and to the musical and acrobatic performances by the world's most elite performers, the Olympic Games sets the stage on its continued showcasing of cultural diversity, embleming its opening ceremony as the biggest platform in sports history that celebrates not only the beauties of technology but also the passion and diversity that sports inspires within the human spirit.
In the process representing athletes become superbly motivated to make the nations they represent in the various events they compete in, truly proud. And while this motivation soars within some, others however, find themselves nervous and psychologically intimidated when the thoughts of the renowned world class athletes they will be competing against arrows through their minds leaving them the option to show up at their events and give their best even when they know what the outcome of their participation in those events will be.
But as the sportsmanship character trait which their engagement in sports had developed in them in their early stages of them developing the skill sets, guts, and endurance in the face of injuries, victories, or defeats, yet their willingness to face off with their opponents had them amass the courage to participate at indoors and outdoors trials prior to the commencing of the Olympic Games itself, ultimately making them to show up at the grand ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, while they look forward to jazz up in their comfortable athletic gears to bravely face off with their opponents, win or lose.
There were 205 nations in total that participated in the various events at this year's Olympic Games, according to available data that I accessed prior to piecing this article together. Some clinched medals while others did not. But despite who clinched medals home or not, what's truly interesting about the Olympic Games is that athletes get to learn from each other while identifying what areas in their event performances they need to improve on. As a result, their determination soars higher in hopes of them surfacing again at the next Olympic Games, to perform better than their prior appearance.
Back home here in Sierra Leone we salute our four Olympians that proudly represented our "Green-White-and-Blue" darling flag colours, whose names are Georgiana Sesay (100 M Women's Track Event), Mariama Koroma (57 Kg Weight Category in the Judo Event), Olamide Sam (Women's 50 M Freestyle Swimming Event), and Joshua Wyse (50 M Men's Freestyle Swimming Event) who also was the leading flag bearer at the opening ceremony's flag parade of nations. And although neither advanced to the next round of the events they competed in, yet their hard work in preparation that ushered them into the Paris 2024 Olympic Games remains a testament to us Sierra Leoneans and to the rest of the world that dreams to participate at the highest level of a designated sport do really come true.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games started on July 26 and ended on August 11. The fan bases were of immense hysteria in atmosphere, all cheering on their various nations' athletes while at the same time well-wishing other athletes whose athletic prowess captured their attention by them demonstrating the idea of "Fair Play," or a moment of "Fair Play," toward those athletes by also cheering them on, thereby causing those athletes to acquire an increase in fan statistics at unawares.
Meanwhile the Olympic Torch which the now retired soccer eminence Zinedine Zidane handed over to tennis' Rafael Nadal, now travels around the globe in solidarity of the world of sports, while this year's Olympians and those up-and-coming ones who aspires to one day be at the Olympic stage, all yearns for glory come the next Olympic Games.
In the meantime, fans and loved ones of theirs hopes their Olympic aspirations transforms into reality, as Hidden Voices Africa too hopes they continue their hard work in their various sports while they remain determined to add to the list of the Olympians who have come and gone.
Until then, "Godspeed" to all of them.
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