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Advertise Directories Natural Venues Guide Convention Centers Guide IDEAPlaybook THE OLYMPIC GAMES: Lessons Learned From London Olympic Games Marked By Firsts & Fallen Barriers BY WANDA RUTLEDGE, Ph.D. always do. They are our quadrennial exposure to under-promoted sports and to athletes from countries we have diffi- culty finding on a map. T The modern Olympic Games has its ideological origin with French aristocrat and educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin who believed that sports improve the health and values of youth and wanted to celebrate the competition of talented individual athletes. He envisioned a gathering of individuals from different countries and cultures who would become friends through sport and pro- mote world peace. His legacy is remem- bered in the Olympic Creed as stated below. Of course, de Coubertin might be rolling over in his grave after these Games. He believed that women should be excluded from the Olympic program, but the 2012 Olympics have been dubbed "The Year of the Woman." Some 45 percent of the total 10,800 athletes in London were women. More women than men represented the USA, Russia and 32 other nations. With the addition of women's boxing, this became the first Olympic Games with women competing in all 36 sports. Each of the 205 coun- tries in the Games brought women ath- The Olympic Creed: he 30th Summer Olympic Games dominated the sports world for 16 days this sum- mer and captivated us as they letes, including, for the first time, Saudi Arabia, Brunei and Qatar. There were other firsts in London with Gabby Douglas becoming the first African-American woman to win a gold medal in the gymnastics all-around, Malaysia fielding the first pregnant ath- lete in shooting, India pinning its best hope for a medal on their female boxer and mother of twins, and a South African double amputee running side- by-side with the best able-bodied sprint- ers in the world. There are more lessons that have come from these Olympic Games: Good Behavior From The Sidelines Time after time, we saw positive parental behavior on display. Gone were the par- ents we have seen in the news recently— the ones who pull a gun on the officials, trip players from opposing teams, assault the coach and verbally abuse their own children in public. We saw parents who cheered, cried and hugged their Olympians regardless of whether they won a medal. What a concept. Cheaters Never Win When eight Badminton players tried to lose a match on purpose to gain a better position in preliminary play, they were booed by the spectators, chastised by their fellow country teammates, and dis- qualified from the Games, denying them "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well." www.sportseventsmagazine.com Wanda L. Rutledge, Ph.D. is assistant pro- fessor, business admin- istration at New Jersey City University (NJCU) in Jersey City, N.J. She is special events director of the National Amateur Baseball Federation and has served as president of the National Council of Youth Sports since 1990. wanda.rutledge53@gmail.com the very prize they sought to win. Punishment was swift and appropriate. African-American Women Break Barriers Volleyball, water polo, tennis, gymnas- tics. Once these were sports played by only those with means, by only white players (and by only men, of course). While African-American women have long been champions in track and field and basketball, in 2012, they also excelled in these once off-limits sports. Because of Destinee, Serena, Gabby and others, a whole generation of African- American girls will have a new dream and know they have a place in any sport they choose. Once again, the Olympic Games sparked our imagination, showcased human endeavor, and inspired us to set lofty goals. And, as the Games winded down, we were left with the admonition for the youth of the world to assemble once again four years from now in Rio to compete for that personal best. Oh, yes, and to hope for another round of firsts and for more barriers to fall. ■ August 2012 11 ▼