By competing as a nation, governments are given the power to control the pride of a nation and the way they are presented to the world. The governments of each nation are responsible for the shift in mentality when it comes to the Olympics. They are the ones who place such emphasis on beating other nations. The host nation is the country in which a session of the games takes place. The host nation usually spends millions of dollars to build playing arenas and spruce up the country. They do this to make the host nation look its best to outsiders, almost like international propaganda. For the 2007 Summer Olympics, China spent millions to build an arena. The government, needing a place for the colossal building, evicted 1.5 million citizens, sending them to camps that no U.S. citizen would call habitable. Ms. Lindsay Beck wrote an article on this Chinese Exodus. Canada spent millions of dollars on a program focused on winning the most medals in the 2010 Winter Olympics. The program was called "Own the Podium." The emphasis that governments place on being superior to other nations is what has tarnished the spirit of the Olympics.
So you won more medals than Zimbabwe. Whoopde freakin doo! No one cares! Do you know why? Other people have just as much pride in their nation as you have in your own. The fact that you beat them is more likely to build a rivalry, not a desire to pick up and move across the world. So let's keep defeating the purpose of the games. Instead of making international friends, let's make everyone hate us because we only care about winning more medals than everyone else. Perfect plan, everyone. I'd rather have a silver medal and a new German friend than a gold medal and no new friends. What's your priority?
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