The Winter Olympics are just a few weeks away and the host city of Vancouver is preparing itself to organize what is sure to be a remarkable sporting event. This will be the third Olympics hosted by Canada. The first was in 1976 in Montreal and the second took place in 1988 in Calgary. But in February, all eyes will be on the city of Vancouver and the sporting heroes aiming to win gold.
This week, I’ll have the opportunity to participate as well. On December 17, Iwill be carrying the Olympic Flame through the streets of Toronto. I was both overwhelmed to be chosen for such an honour back in the early Fall.
The origins of the Olympic Flame come from ancient Greece, the place of the first Games, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the event. It commemorates the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus. The fire was re-introduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, and it has been part of the modern Games ever since. A few months before an Olympic event begins, a torch is lit in Olympia, Greece, the exact place of the ancient Games dating back to 776 BC, and then transported (usually by plane) to the host country. For these games, the Flame was flown from Greece over the North Pole to Canada’s High Arctic and then taken by hand through several cities all over the country.
I will be one of more than 12,000 torchbearers, including notable celebrities like Shania Twain and hockey star Sidney Crosby. The Flame will finally reach Vancouver on February 10, just in time for the Opening Ceremonies. In keeping with the spirit of my Barefoot Challenge in April 2009, I hope to run with the Flame without shoes to help raise awareness of child poverty in the Global South. I just hope it will be warm that day. If not, maybe the torch can add some extra heat for my toes!
It is important to remember the spirit of the Olympics Games. Sports are always competitive, and athletes participate on behalf of their country. In the opening ceremonies, they enter the main stadium along with their fellow countrymen and women. Yet the Olympic Games are also a celebration of diversity and internationalism, and during the closing ceremonies, athletes enter the stadium together, regardless of country. There are always rivalries, like that between the Canadian and U.S. hockey teams, but it’s all done for fun and the benefit of sport.
In fact, the Olympic Games are really one of the few international events where people from throughout the world can come together in the spirit of good sportsmanship and just have fun. I hope to do the same this week in Toronto when I carry the Flame. It was come such a long way, and I am honoured to be a part of it.
Author: Bilal Rajan
