The president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, and the prime minister of Japan, Abe Shinzo, finally made the unavoidable and painful decision to reschedule the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games. This is heartbreaking news for the athletes already chosen by their respective countries and those still working hard to make their teams.
It has been agreed that the flame already in Japan will keep burning until a date when the world is out of danger from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The postponed games could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubling times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present,” according to a joint statement from the top two officials.
I see the hope they’ve given the entire world. As Illinois remains on a stay-at-home order and the daily number of COVID-19 cases increases, the promise of rescheduling the summer games is the silver lining in the dark cloud hanging over everybody, everywhere.
There are people who are troubled by what has become the new normal. Politicians blame other politicians. Doctors wage warnings against proposed deadlines to resume daily life. Nurses beg for help from an impossible work load and lack of personal protective equipment.
Many businesses have completely closed and the entire travel industry is staggering. In spite of all of this, we must join together and look past the COVID-19 pandemic. We must have an Olympic spirit and know that our lives as we know them are merely postponed for a short time.
For the majority of us, the Olympic Games are something we merely view over our television sets. We join in the pride that Olympic champions feel as the Star Spangled Banner is played. We also feel the pain of those dreams that are not realized by an athlete who has dedicated years of training only to fall short.
We must keep the Olympic spirit in our hearts and minds. As the Olympic flame awaits its time in Tokyo, we can all anxiously await our rise from the ashes. We will survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
Linda McDaniel-Hale is a Fox Valley resident who offers opinions on local topics.
