I always enjoy watching the opening and closing ceremonies as I see the world come together as the athletes parade into the stadium, and also to see the artistic program whereby the host country displays aspects of its identity and culture.
I remember that the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony was quite ostentatious, as a sign that China was intent on impressing the world with the spotlight focused on it.
The opening ceremony this time around was a bit more subdued, which was a little more to my liking, but still rich with cultural elements. There was an artistic display of the different parts of the Lunar Year, with the four major seasons further divided into specific stages.
In fact, I learned that the Lunar New Year is considered the Spring Festival, but not because it's in spring. Rather, in the depths of winter, the human heart's desire for spring emerges, and that signals the start of the journey toward spring in earnest. From there came the dazzling display of the green grass. And then the snowflakes descended all about the stadium, with a celebratory song focused on winter. The snowflakes even figured into the design of the Olympic cauldron, which I didn't find nearly as impressive, because it was hard to see the flame since it was rather small compared to other Olympic cauldrons I've seen.
The snowflakes figured in again prominently in the closing ceremony. I was also intrigued by the imagery of the willow fig as a sign of farewell that's part of Chinese hospitality. And it was great to all the promotional videos for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, highlighting the amenities of Milan and the natural wonder of the mountain scenery in Cortina. As usual, the ceremony ended with quite a party.
I was glad that I was able to catch more of the coverage of these Olympic games, finally having access to Peacock. I watched some of the primetime NBC coverage, which included the bobsled event, and through Peacock, I watched some of the curling events, including much of the gold medal women's curling match between Great Britain and Japan.
Thinking about the various cultural elements on display in the ceremonies, I return to that idea of the spring festival in the depths of winter: There's something pretty profound to think about how the initial deep yearning for spring that emerges in the depths of winter is the start of the spring season, long before the typical signs of spring emerge in the natural world. It speaks to how the human heart yearns for difficulties to end and give way to renewal and goodness.
It's true that these Olympic games were in the shadow of controversies, including China's human rights abuses that triggered diplomatic boycotts, and then a rebuff from the Chinese powers that be when a member of the Uyghur ethnic group be one of the two people to light the Olympic cauldron. Of course, I wouldn't have known that unless the commentary during the opening ceremony mentioned it.
I enjoy watching the Olympics, though I'm not a big fan of watching sports in general. There's something so inspiring about the idea of athletes coming from all over the world to engage in spirited competition, and in quite a large variety of sports. There's a great opportunity for character building in sports.
I sensed it while watching the curling match between Japan and Great Britain. Both teams were intently aiming to win the gold medal. At one point, it was clear the Japanese team was having some issues and ultimately just wasn't able to pull it off successfully. In the end, though, all the players could take satisfaction in playing a good game.
Despite all the troubles in the world, which certainly cast a shadow on these Olympic games, I still feel a sense of hope that the world can still come together in a meaningful way like at the Olympics. I don't think the song "Imagine", which is practically a staple at Olympic ceremonies, really presents the right kind of vision. I much prefer "I Believe", performed so amazingly by Nikki Yanofsky back in 2010, and I played it every day during the Olympic event.
And so the Olympics is an event that still resonates with me deeply. I have a great appreciation for the geography of the many nations in the world, which developed at an early age, and I feel inspired see ing them engage in sports, to be Higher, Faster, Stronger, Together, as the Olympic motto now states. Indeed, I see great principles in the idea of the Olympics that gives us a vision of what our world could be.
