Spirit of Olympics Can Inspire

It was midafternoon on Sunday, Dec. 23, and I was on a bus holding a group of men and women selected as the torchbearers who would carry the Olympic flame through Manhattan, a midpoint on the flame’s journey to Salt Lake City.

Every two-tenths of a mile, the bus would stop and let one of us off at a designated spot to wait our turn.

Crowds lined the road, cheering the caravan and greeting each torchbearer with special affection. Soon it was my turn, and as the bus began to slow I looked through the window. We were passing a fire station. There were about 10 firefighters standing there smiling. And they were waving to us. These men and women who, since Sept. 11 have captivated the world with their quiet courage and bravery ... they were waving at us.

What is it about the Olympic Games--the Olympic spirit--that has the power to inspire us, to give us hope, even in the wake of recent tragedies?

If there is tangible evidence of the Olympic spirit, it must reside in the form of the athletes--men and women from all over the world who have, for more than a 100 years, set aside their differences to come together in a single place, with a single purpose--the will to be their best, the pursuit of excellence.

When I think of the Olympic spirit, my thoughts often go back to 1980 in Lake Placid, N.Y., when that spirit was manifested in an unheralded group of American ice hockey players who overcame insurmountable odds to win the gold medal in what history remembers as the “Miracle on Ice.” Miracle or not, it was the fulfillment of the dream of all athletes who have competed in the Olympic Games--that on any given day, at a given time and place, something magical can happen.

I believe these Games endure because of these men and women who enter the arena and make the attempt. In doing so, they remind us that while not all of us will be called upon to be heroes, we can all, through a simple act of character and courage, pursue excellence, inspire others, and attain our own measure of greatness.

Thankfully, these Games and these young men and women once again will return to American soil in Salt Lake City at a time when they are sorely needed. And the whole world can join together as we share the joy of their friendly competition. In doing so, we will all pay homage to the reason these Games endure--to the men and women who have come before, who stood a step above the rest--who through their excellence have inspired this generation of athletes who followed. Olympic legends who have assured the Olympic spirit will endure from Games to Games and from generation to generation.

As Chris Witty and Jennifer Rodriguez take to the ice at the speedskating oval in Salt Lake, they know that anything is possible because of the accomplishments of the great Bonnie Blair. Though Bode Miller had not been born when the 1968 Winter Games were held in Grenoble, France, we can’t help but think that he will be inspired by the feats of Jean-Claude Killy. As we watch the beauty, grace and athleticism of Michelle Kwan, we see figure skating as both Sonja Henie and Dick Button intended. And as Brian Shimer rockets down the mountain at Utah Olympic Park in his fifth Olympic Games, he honors the great traditions of his sport forged by Eugenio Monti, Tony Nash and Billy Fiske.

In Salt Lake, as I mark my 50th year of documenting the Olympic Games, I am privileged to be able to pay honor to the 10 Winter Olympians whose greatness, courage and endurance have most inspired me over the years. And I look forward with renewed vigor to the opportunity to witness and be encouraged by a new generation of Olympians.

We don’t know the names of all those who will inspire us during these Games or those whose names will join the ranks of the legends who have gone before. After 50 years there is only one thing I know for certain--that all of us, athletes and spectators alike, will leave these Games and return to our daily lives the better for it.

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Award-winning filmmaker and Olympic historian Bud Greenspan again will produce the official film of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, and during the Games will premiere a series of short films as part of a program titled “General Motors Presents Bud Greenspan’s 10 Greatest Winter Olympians.”