The Olympics

Yay!! It's the Olympics! Not only that, but there are some awesome athletes competing this summer. I'm rooting for Shawn Johnson, the womens' and mens' swimming teams (swimming is my sport, so I'm glued to the TV for all the swimming events) and, on the mens' swimming team especially, Michael Phelps. I watched the entire four hour opening ceremonies last night (I hope that you did too) and I think that there were some countries who definetely deserve credit, for just showing up at the games: Iraq and Iran, Afganistan, Bhutan, Azerbaijan, Niger (there was only one athlete, but it's better than nothing), Burkina Faso, and Yemen. I think that it's awesome that although these countries are facing a lot of political unrest and often are not always able to make sure that their people are getting enough to eat, they are sending athletes out to the Olympics.
The Olympics are much more than just seeing which country can win the most medals; it's a uniting of all people who come from different economical, social, and political backgrounds that all have one thing in common; they all share an intense passion for their sport; and, they've come to share that with the rest of the world. It's the one time every other year when people put aside their differences and unite together to play sports. What's amazing is that people from around the world can get together and enjoy the same soccer matches, basketball games, and swimming races.
If you want to learn more about any of the athletes, you can visit nbcolympics.com. Also, Shawn Johnson has an official website at www.shawnjohnson.net. You can learn more about her and see a few pictures of her in Beijing. She hasn't competed yet, so the only pictures that you'll see will be of her and her teammates arriving in Beijing.
Thanks for reading, and happy Olympics!!