Gold. Silver. Bronze. Those have been popular words on TV the last few weeks with the summer Olympics taking place in Japan. Yes, because of the pandemic, it’s a little different because no fans are allowed, but the games have brought some much-needed positive excitement to the world. From the many records broken, to the stunning upsets, to the inspiring stories, it’s been refreshing to hear so many positive news stories after over a year and a half of pretty rough times. The Olympics have also highlighted some pressing issues in today’s society.

As I write this, I can think of three different types of Olympics: The “regular” Olympics, the Paralympics, and Special Olympics. I can’t help but think of the movie Murderball when describing the difference between the Paralympics and Special Olympics. The movie is about wheelchair rugby and in the movie the athletes make a not-so-nice comparison between the Paralympics and Special Olympics. It was trying to illustrate that Paralympians and Special Olympians are very different. Often, there’s confusing between the two which can be very degrading for both parties. Admittedly, I don’t know much about Special Olympics, but they are games for people with mostly intellectual disabilities. From my understanding, the athletes train and compete like other athletes, but it’s more about giving the athletes the opportunities to participate just like everyone else. It’s about having the ability to show personal strengths. The competition isn’t as intense. Whereas, in the Paralympics, the competition is just as intense as it is in the regular Olympics and the athletes are considered elite.

In recent years, both Special Olympics and the Paralympics have received more media coverage. The Paralympics begin a few weeks after the regular Olympics end this month. The opening ceremony and a few of the events will be on tv. I watched the opening ceremony of the last Paralympics a few years ago, and it was cool because I actually knew some of the athletes from Whitewater. I recently looked at the roster for this year’s USA Men’s Wheelchair Basketball team and I realized I still know four or five of the players. In fact, I was talking with one of my caregivers about it and I was saying I couldn’t believe some of those guys are still playing—they were playing on the Whitewater team over 15 years ago.

Watching the Olympics makes me wonder if things were different, would I be athletic? Surely, I probably wouldn’t be an Olympian or anything, but I think I would have done some sports. In a previous entry a few years ago, I talked about my love for sports. I absolutely love watching them—especially football and basketball. As I discussed, besides trying a little recreational power soccer a few nights in college, I’ve never played a real sport. Could I have been in Special Olympics or played in a Miracle League (where kids with disabilities are paired with able-bodied buddies to play baseball)? Probably, but I didn’t. It wasn’t on my radar, and, as a kid, I wanted to fit in with my friends. My sister and brother-in-law are involved in myTEAM TRIUMPH. It’s where able-bodied athletes volunteer to help someone with a disability complete a race. The able-bodied people often pull the person with a disability in a bike cart or an inner tube (while swimming). I know my sister would love for me participate in a race, but, for me, I can’t bring myself to do this. Saying this will make me sound incredibly vain, but, as a fully intellectually capable person, I can’t imagine being put it the spotlight for something others did. It’s amazing my sister and brother-in-law are involved in this, but, unfortunately, I don’t see myself ever doing it.

Competition is good for everyone. It’s motivates us to become better at whatever we’re doing. However, as we’ve seen in this Olympics, the pressure to perform can lead to serious mental health issues. Simone Biles, who was supposed to the gold medal favorite in gymnastics, took herself out of two of the competitions citing mental health issues. As unfortunate as it was, it has brought so much awareness to the issue. Social media has blown up with posts about this. While there are some negative posts out there about how she left her team hanging, most of the posts I’ve seen have fully embraced and supported Simone for recognizing it and stepping away. For many people, including myself, seeing her step away made them realize that it’s ok not to be ok. Besides the pandemic, I think it’ll be the biggest thing remembered from this Olympics. It’s amazing to see how much impact one athlete can have on the world. 

Athletics give us great entertainment. Sports have a funny way of pushing people to their limit, but also bringing people together. They make people realize what they are capable of and how far they can go. They also help us realize that humans are humans, and nobody is perfect. Sports teach us what’s important in life!

***The views expressed here are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of InControl Wisconsin, the Network or any of our sponsors.