After the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games in PyeongChang, I came back to Canada and began to reflect on the privilege and experience I had supporting Team Canada at my first Paralympic Games. I found myself wondering how I could best describe the experience when people were to ask me about it, because I knew many people would want to know about all the excitement and would continue to ask. So, I figured I’d share it by writing about it.
The best way I can describe it is magical. Yes, that may sound cheesy and sentimental, because it is, but I can’t think of another word to describe how I found it. It’s probably important to keep in mind if you chose to keep reading, that this is something I’ve been passionate about for a very long time, so I tend to get a lot more excited about it than the average person.
The first day I moved into the village, I was in awe with everything that I saw, even though it’s honestly just a bunch of buildings. Upon entering, the first thing you see are numerous flag poles, each one flying a different flag of a country who is participating in the Games. Something about that view impressed me every time I walked by it. My colleagues often laughed because even though the view never changed, I continued to stop to take photos of it throughout the duration of the Games. There is something comforting to see so many country’s flags fly beside each other every day during the Games, especially on the more challenging days.
Even the meal hall in the village fascinated me, and although I love food (and ate over 100 dumplings), I am actually referring to the community of people who ate there. Talk about a fun place to people watch. Every table had a different delegation and often tables had a mixture of athletes from different countries who either knew each other from competition, or were choosing to get to know someone new. How many times do you sit down to eat and have people from Kazakhstan at the table in front of you, Poland at the table beside you, Brazil at the table behind you, and a few Kiwis who sit down to join you? Pretty cool if you ask me.
And don’t even get me started on the competitions themselves. Although I loved watching the athletes race on the track, down the hill or on the ice, I often found myself watching something else. Their families and friends. Have you ever watched someone’s mother see their son or daughter win a gold medal? Those are the kind of moments that are really special – to have someone fly across the world to witness someone they love accomplish one of their biggest dreams. To have family and friends watch someone they care about get the results they had hoped and worked years and years to achieve. That is magic.
Then there’s the medal ceremonies at the end of each day. I’ve never seen smiles as big as I saw on athletes as the announcer pronounced them “Paralympic Champion,” and raised their country’s flag while singing their national anthem. I could have watched those presentations for hours.
I always thought sport was powerful, and I think I always will, but the Paralympic games showed me first-hand how true that really is. I can’t think of many scenarios where that many countries come together, hand-in-hand, living side-by-side, brought together by the same passion and common goals. It’s pretty special that something as simple and fun as sports has the capability to do that. I think Scott Russell said it best in a tweet after the conclusion of the Games:
“When you first come to the Paralympics you notice the differences. The way people look. But soon they disappear. Barriers come down only to be replaced by a common bond. And to find, through sport, a companionship with kindred people.”
Maggie
