Olympics on the other side of the world

Well, it’s been a rough year, but they’re finally here. I like the Olympics . I hate them politically and financially (I think South Korea was onto something with their temporary venues in 2018), but the athletes themselves are the show to me. Sure, I’m a homer when it comes to US and South Korean athletes and teams, but other than that, I just love watching them compete. And the smaller the country, the better. Like Côte d’Ivoire’s Aminata Charlene Traore in women’s Taekwondo. She didn’t win a medal, but she put it out there.

Being in Korea, I get to see a little bit more. I can see the American channels on base, where I get plenty of the events in which the US participates. And then I can watch the Korean channels, where I see such interesting sports as archery and fencing. I mean, archery. Shooting at a target 70 meters away and hitting the 10-ring. Only 12.2 cm across. They make it look so easy. It can’t be.

I watched some Team Handball today too. Korea vs. Japan, women’s. And wow, those women were tough. Blocking, pulling, practically tackling each other. Impressive. The US aren’t even competing, so you’re probably not seeing a lot of handball.

Maybe I’m just getting old, but if that means appreciating things like this more, I can go for that. The Olympics are a good diversion from the daily routine, and I’m looking forward to exploring them a little bit more. Getting to see them from the other side of the world…even better.