Opinion: Faster, higher, stronger - the Olympic Games unites a world audience

I’m an expert on fencing.
It’s a fascinating sport of expert skills, ancient traditions and infused with the romance of swashbuckling heroes from Zorro to the Three Musketeers.
Bouts in Paris’s Grand Palais that start with the legendary cry of ‘en garde’ and ‘allez’.

I’m also an expert on BMX Freestyle. I know how to spot the tricks that make the best runs over the big spines. Toe whips, power whips, front flips, opposite transfers, and the combinations that all contribute to a good flow.

Two weeks ago I knew next to nothing about these sports but now I’m judging swimmers’ dolphin kicks and diving entries into the pool with the best of them.
As I sit on the comfort of my couch, with a cup of tea and a biscuit.
And I bet I’m not the only one.

It’s a phenomenon we see happen every four years and we’ve the Olympic Games to thank for that.
There’s something special about the Olympic Games that makes the regular sporting show something much more than the sum of its parts.

Why else, other than the magic of the Olympic spirit, would we become overnight fanatical supporters of sports like badminton, that we haven’t even played since we were in school?

The motto of the Olympic Games is ‘faster, higher, stronger - together’ and maybe it’s the embodiment of that hope, that direction to humans to be better, to try harder and never give up, that conjures up that enticing spirit.

Maybe it’s the concept of ‘together’ - that not only do we have teams from 206 National Olympic Committees, but even within teams all heritages are embraced. Just last week Ireland got behind Nhat Nguyen, a badminton player from Cavan by way of Vietnam, and Siobhan Haughey, a swimmer from Hong Kong by way of Dublin!

Maybe it’s the concept of a playing court, a racing route or a performance space on a platform in front of the whole world is what makes it special.
As a world we are united in one, grand audience.

I remember watching my first Olympics, the 1984 games in Los Angeles, on a tv in a holiday home in Galway. We weren’t a particularly sporty household (by which I mean it was all hurling on the radio and tv, because there were no other sports) and it was probably my first introduction to people winning medals for running fast and jumping high. And, of course, they were doing these things at all strange hours of the day. (Don’t think anyone thought to explain ‘time zones’ to me).

It’s a fascination that continues to this day. A fascination made all the more easy to feed when now I have a choice not just of many channels, but livestreams of all sports as they take place, online and even on my phone.

Whatever it is that captivates us, since the conception of the modern Olympic Games Ireland has not just watched on, we have also been an enthusiastic participant.

In the early years the Olympics included more than running and jumping. Ireland’s first medal as the Irish Free State was won by artist Jack B Yeats, for his painting The Liffey Swim.
Of course we had Irish Olympians before that, from the first games of the modern Olympic era in 1896 to 1920 they were part of the Great Britain team.

Turn to modern times and Ireland has become known for claiming medals in boxing, rowing and swimming. A tradition that continues this year.

Two weeks of more magic and sublime inspiration continue ahead with the Paralympics. Just when we think we have seen the pinnacle of human sporting achievement, we are treated to even greater feats of human endeavour. Men and women who have accepted even greater challenges in life, swept them aside and risen to heights most of us can only dream of.

It’s easy to see why these athletes are an inspiration to children and maybe a few more of us older sports fans.
Witnessing the celebrations of wins, the camaraderie of competition and the sporting collegiality of opponents truly wishing each other the best, is a joy to behold.
I’m sure there are more kids signing up for swimming lessons and asking for BMX bikes this August than there were last May!
So, anyway, what’s your new area of expertise? I’m thinking of moving on to the heptathlon…