EGN NEWS DESK
I’m so excited to observe the Paris Olympics opening ceremony tonight! Breaking with custom, the ceremony won’t happen in a stadium however on the banks of the River Seine. We are in for an actual showstopper the place sport meets musical theatre. With a star-studded line up, the ceremony is turning into extra bold with each Games. This yr round 10,500 athletes from 206 Olympic nationwide groups will parade by way of the center of the French capital. I simply love watching the faces of the athletes as they enter the world stage. The emotions of anticipation and pleasure are palpable.
It makes me emotional to see the delegations from the international locations in Asia and Africa the place we work. Having seen a number of the locations the place they grew up, I’m impressed once I see them competing in an occasion that unites the world.
The good intentions and a spirit of unity are undoubtedly there. Everyone holds quick to the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship. Yet, as in each facet of life, it’s removed from a degree taking part in subject. Is Team GB actually a lot ‘higher’ at sport than the 9 international locations wherein we work in Asia and Africa?
Statistics present that now we have gained a complete of 915 Olympic medals over the centuries. This compares with the collective 126 medals from Ethiopia, India, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. Despite participating, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal have by no means medalled. There is little doubt that elite sport does not come low cost. It prices billions to coach and develop athletes and construct services for these athletes to coach in. Money and alternative that merely is not there for these rising up within the communities wherein we work in Asia and Africa.
We have seen it on a nationwide degree right here in our personal nation. Those with longer recollections will keep in mind the frustration of the Atlanta 1996 video games for Team GB. We gained only one gold and 15 medals total. 1 / 4 of a century on and Team GB gained their one centesimal gold since Atlanta on the Tokyo Games in 2021!
National Lottery funding is broadly credited for our Olympic success lately. Denise Lewis, the one British lady to win a medal at Atlanta, describes herself as a “grasp of her personal future”. As a younger athlete she was left scrabbling for funding for physios and scans whereas coaching with part-time coaches. “You can solely do what you’ll be able to and also you’re born within the period that you simply’re born into,” she properly surmises.
To me all Olympians are true heroes. They display grit, dedication and expertise far past that which cash might ever purchase. Yet it’s the tales of these overcoming the hurdles to success that actually heat my coronary heart. These athletes live proof that actually something is feasible with the proper breaks and the proper decision.
There is a lot to do in relation to altering the fortunes of these working the race of life. Success can solely come by way of alternative. And at The Leprosy Mission we’re enthusiastic about offering alternatives for younger individuals to realize their very own greatness. Our Vocational Training Centres in India are simply one of many methods younger individuals affected by leprosy have the prospect to construct an incredible future. They can be taught trades from banking and insurance coverage to stitching know-how and diesel mechanics. These particular locations of studying really present a pathway out of poverty. They are someplace the place children from robust backgrounds can obtain their full potential. Just as with the Olympics, there have been some unbelievable success tales. Real life tales the place entrepreneurship and management expertise have been nurtured and unleashed.
Last yr almost 600 younger individuals in India graduated from our coaching centres. I’m so excited to see the fruits of their labour as they discover their footing in their very own race by way of life. I’m rooting for each to realize gold!
