SPECIAL COLLABORATION

Recently, I spoke to you about the political, social, ethical and human rights aspects of the Beijing Games. As I write these lines, it is safe to say that there are unlikely to be any major protests from one or more athletes. No participant of the Games dared to challenge the Chinese government and that was to be expected. Even if these subjects are sensitive and of paramount importance, the main role of the athletes present is first and foremost to present a spectacle through their sporting performances. Precisely, what do we remember from the sports performances of these 24th Winter Olympics?

Each member of the public has their highlight of the Games and there are obviously some must-sees. The Olympics have this ability to rally people from all walks of life who do not necessarily follow sport. I could give you statistics and analyze outstanding performances of the last few days, but the Games are much more than that.

We follow the Olympic Games for sport yes, but above all for stories. For me, beyond the medals, the Games are first and foremost a celebration of resilience. What touches me in sport are the stories of redemption. There is nothing more touching and moving for me than stories of athletes who go through hardships of all kinds to finally win a competition or sometimes simply participate in it.

Several athletes from all over the planet who participated in the Beijing 2022 Games managed to overcome difficulties to get there. But it was especially our local Olympians who thrilled me and inspired me with their resilience during these Games. What is resilience? Sometimes I feel like this term is overused. So let’s go and see the definition given by the dictionary: the ability to live to develop, by overcoming traumatic shocks, adversity.

Of course, we think of those who win medals, like Maxence Parrot for example. As he has said and repeated to several media, three years ago he was in the hospital, in the middle of a furious fight against cancer of the Hodgkin’s lymph nodes. This week, he won two Olympic medals. A gold medal in freestyle descent and a bronze medal in the big jump. An incredible story worthy of Hollywood, which has toured the planet. His two performances brought many to tears. We knew that these medals were close at hand. We had even already seen Parrot win the XGames in Aspen, just thirteen months after his diagnosis. However, this time the show was even grander because it unfolded them live from the 2022 Beijing Olympics before our eyes. Beyond the medals, there is also the manner. His bronze medal he won after falling and then performing a more conservative jump. Because through its great history of resilience, there is also this failure, which in its great history could have gone unnoticed.

It’s the same for other Quebec athletes like Kim Boutin. After a stormy end to the competition in PyeongChang in 2018, where she received hundreds of death threats (because she took advantage of the disqualification of a Korean), the Sherbrooke athlete won a bronze medal this year. . A story of resilience in the face of bullying.

Still in speed skating at the Beijing Games, Charles Hamelin also overcame difficulties. After suffering disappointments in the individual events, he finished a course of 5 Games with his 6th medal, a gold in the men’s 5000m relay. A story worthy of the best Disney movie scripts.

However, the greatest proof of resilience that I have seen from a Quebec athlete at these Games was not rewarded with a medal. It was at the Genting Secret Garden in Zhangiakou, bump-proof on the women’s side. In what was most likely her last Olympic decent, Justine Dufour-Lapointe fell heavily. At this point, we know that she will not be able to go any further and will not take the next step. However, she gets up, recovers her stick and finishes her decent by making her last jump. She may not have won a medal, but she has won the respect of many people.

This brief sample of sports resilience stories may seem bland and superfluous. For people who don’t follow sport, perhaps we give too much importance to this kind of event. However, resilience is the very basis of sport, but also of life in society. These stories have certainly marked young and old who will have to go through difficulties in sport or in their everyday life. These proofs of resilience will surely inspire others. You are not convinced? I tell you a brief story.

A few years ago, I lost sight in one eye while playing dek hockey. Following a slapshot of incredible power, the orange ball deflected and hit me directly in the left eye. I immediately lost my sight, never to find it again despite several operations. You know who I thought of first? To David-Alexandre Beauregard. Why him? Because I remembered that when I was young, I heard about this Saint-Hyacinthe Laser forward (drafted by the San Jose Sharks), who lost his sight in one eye after being hitting with the end of a stick in a QMJHL game. He returned to action some time later and started scoring goals again as he had before. He was able to complete his junior internship and play 17 seasons of professional hockey. You understood correctly, 17 seasons! You can imagine how much of an inspiration he was to me when I had my accident. So wonder not how these stories of sports resilience can impact the lives of those who witness them. That’s what I love about sport, which makes the Olympic Games inspiring and worth celebrating.