The Spirit of the Games

My family and I spent a lot of free time in August watching the Olympics – we held our breath as we watched Simone Biles on her comeback tour, cheered as Cindy Ngamba won the first gold medal for the Refugee Team, were on our feet as Julien Alfred won St. Lucia’s first-ever Olympic medal, and gasped in awe as Steph Curry made four 3-pointers in the last three minutes of the gold medal basketball game. We stayed up too late, got up too early, and were excited for sports we had never heard of until those Olympic moments. When it all ended, I was somewhat happy to return to the cadence of our usual TV-watching.

And then, the last week of August, my son reminded me that the Paralympics were starting, and ran for over ten days. Whether he was trying to get more television out of the deal or not, it made clear to me that I had never engaged with the Paralympics in quite the same way. So this year, we tried to prioritize watching it and reading about it in our home. We also learned a ton more about the classification systems that dictates how athletes are grouped, as well as the accommodations and adaptations made to each sport. No single classification system works for every sport – so every time we watched a new sport, we learned something new. Wheelchair rugby is coed (and also called “murderball”); volleyball is played seated, not in wheelchairs; blind football uses a ball with a little bell in it; and more.

And so, as the Paralympics ended over the weekend, we are also choosing to celebrate Sheetal Devi, the incredible 17-year-old Indian para-archer, who shot a perfect bulls-eye without arms. We’re in awe of Zakia Khudadadi, the para-taekwondo refugee, who fled Afghanistan when the Taliban banned sports, and won the first medal for the refugee Paralympic team. And we are so happy for France’s blind football team, as they beat Argentina in the gold medal match in front of the Eiffel tower. I highly recommend watching some of the highlights this week. I’ve found myself amazed by the athletes’ dedication, resilience, and relentless pursuit of excellence.

-Reshma