In a recent speech, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach emphasized the importance of promoting Olympic values in times of global conflict. Speaking to an audience that included French President Emmanuel Macron, Bach later shared a message with hundreds of Olympic athletes: “Give peace a chance.”
Bach referenced the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, who revived the event 130 years ago in Paris as a means of promoting peace among all nations and peoples. “Today, you, the Olympic athletes, are the ambassadors of peace of our time,” said Bach.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser echoed that sentiment. Crouser, who competes in the shot put for the USA, expressed that the world has not seen a “proper Olympic Games” in a long time. Despite the challenges of organizing the event during a pandemic, he praised Tokyo's efforts to host the 2020 Olympics.
Crouser believes the Olympics serve as a unifying force, especially in times of political turmoil. “The whole purpose of the Olympics is to see what unites us rather than to see what our differences are,” he said. He highlighted the closing ceremony as a metaphor for the Olympic Games, where athletes from different nations come together to celebrate their shared love of sport.
Crouser, who is preparing to compete in her third Olympics, stressed the importance of finding common ground at a time when America seems more divided than ever. “The commonalities we can find now are more important than the differences,” he said.
Crouser, a former University of Texas standout, is considered one of the best in his sport. He won his first gold medal in London in 2012 and again in Rio in 2016. The 31-year-old is also a three-time world champion and holds the world record in both indoor and outdoor shot put.
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