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View all search resultsSports and politics: My experience as an athlete
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articipating at the Olympic Games is an incredible experience for every athlete. But it is also humbling when you realize that you are part of something bigger. You are part of an event that unites the world.
In the Olympic Games, we are all equal. Everyone respects the same rules, irrespective of social background, gender, race, sexual orientation or political belief.
The first time I experienced this magic was at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. From the moment I moved into the Olympic village, I could feel the Olympic spirit come alive. Living together with my fellow athletes from all over the world, opened my eyes to the unifying power of sport.
As athletes, we are competitors in sport, but in the Olympic village, we all live peacefully together under one roof. Whenever Olympians meet, no matter where we are from or when we competed in the Games, this shared experience immediately becomes the topic of our conversations.
