THE end of this year's Olympics in Beijing is occasion for a new round of reflection on an event that brought people across the globe together. The story of Michael Phelps, all these years after Mark Spitz's spectacular performance at Munich in 1972, has been stunningly captivating. Jamaican speed king Usain Bolt ran thrice and won a hattrick of golds. Barring instances of embarrassment, as that brought on by a North Korean's doping disaster, the Olympics have thrown up a new generation of sportsmen and women distinguished by a sense of extraordinary grit and confidence.
Speaking of confidence, it is the host country that has clearly demonstrated plenty of it. China's achievement, through overtaking the United States and every other country in its tally of gold, has catapulted it into the position of a sporting superpower. The traditional American dominance of the Olympics has thus taken quite a slide, with the Russians coming in third. The Russians and Ukrainians of course turned heads with their superb performance in rhythmic gymnastics. As for Asia, it put up a rather remarkable performance, a sure sign that the continent has now come of age in the sporting world. Unfortunately, though, the nations of South Asia did not fare well. India's individual gold still does not show much by way of performance; and Pakistan and Bangladesh simply were not seen anywhere. The Afghans (and this despite their political problems) have, however, come away with a bronze.
All said and done, the Beijing Olympics have been symbolic once more of the renewal of the human spirit. The degree to which sports can unify people across the globe has never been in doubt. And that ethos has been proved true all over again. As for China, it has done well despite the negative publicity (largely in the West) that it came by prior to the commencement of the games. It weathered the troubles in Tibet and the crisis engendered by an earthquake. And it handled fairly well the smog that for years hung over Beijing.
And now for a new four-year hiatus, until the flame is lighted once again . . . in London.