Despite the political and cultural intrigue make that tension of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a classic feel-good and sports-hero story is in the making.
The devastation felt by Americans and Jews who lived through the massacre of the Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics was unforgettable. Likewise, the much needed balm of Mark Spitzs record- breaking seven gold medals in swimming in those very same games. Spitz made America proud. Spitz made Jews proud. Everywhere.
Records are made to be broken, as the old line goes. This week, in Beijing, another young swimmer, Michael Phelps, is trying to take down Mark Spitzs record of seven golds in a single games. As of press time, he has already gathered five, each of them setting world records for their events.
Whether he breaks Spitzs seven-medals-in-one-games record or not, Phelps, has already made history: His 11 career gold medals (in this Olympics and last) have stamped him as the winningest Olympian ever.
Michael Phelps and all the other Olympic winners provide great entertainment and inspiration. They also remind us that the Olympics are not about which country is the worlds biggest super-power or which country can out-dazzle the rest of the world with high-tech pageantry. The Olympics are about athletic excellence, striving for victory and national pride.
