Did you watch the Winter Olympics this year? Millions of people around the world did, including me. I was home with a bug during a few days of the competition and I found myself watching whatever was on at the time. Sure, there were a lot of fantastic competitions and the athletes are unbelievable. I even became a fan of Curling! But it’s more than that.
What calls out to millions every four years? What brings so many people together? What is it that makes it so special? I believe it’s more than the athletes – it’s the story telling. Stories about the Olympics and stories about the athletes and their families and their journeys to the pinnacle of their achievements.
According to the official Olympics website, the three values of Olympism are excellence, respect and friendship. They constitute the foundation on which the Olympic movement builds its activities to promote sport, culture and education with a view to building a better world. This is the idea of setting your rivalries aside. There is more that unites us than divides us.
Over time, the values have evolved and are now expressed in more contemporary terms as: striving for excellence and encouraging people to be the best they can be; demonstrating respect in many different manners – respect towards yourself, the rules, your opponents, the environment, the public, etc. and celebrating friendship. These values are quite unique to the Olympic Games.
Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for internationally recognized human rights and universal fundamental ethical principles within the remit of the Olympic Movement.
The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.
It was a historic moment in 2007 in Johannesburg, when IOC President Jacques Rogge and the former President of the Republic of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, shook hands. Nelson Mandela is a strong supporter of sport as a tool to contribute to a peaceful world.
During their long-awaited meeting, the two men had a lively discussion on how sport can be used as a vehicle to promote peace. “Sport can facilitate dialogue between different communities and be a catalyst in our society”, both strongly agreed.
The stories told during the weeks of the Games are what pulls everything together. Otherwise it would just be a sporting event, and not a world-wide event. All communicators would be wise to take note. We talk about the “why” when promoting our business or organizations, but often miss the mark. But it’s simple. The “why” can be found in the stories that are found within what we do.
“That elusive gold medal for Elana Meyers Taylor is elusive no more. The most prolific female bobsledder in history finally has that gold.” – Leigh Diffey on Elana Meyers Taylor winning Olympic gold
Stacy Cornay is the owner of Communication Concepts Public Relations & Advertising.
She may be reached at 303-638-7127; scornay@comm-concepts.com; www.comm-concepts.com; Facebook.com/Communication Concepts; X @CommConceptsPR; or Linked In.