Get ready for full on patriotism, folks; Olympic season is underway. Most will agree that the Olympics are a wonderful spectacle where people can fully demonstrate their love and pride for their country. This year, the 2016 Olympics are stationed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a country with a history as rich as the Olympics themselves. Both the Olympics and the country of Brazil have endured harsh times and incredible moments and the unification of the two this summer proves to be the latest point on two very unique timelines.
776 BC: Humble Beginnings
As written in Olympic.org, The first ancient Olympic Games began in 776 BC, where they took place in Greece for just under 12 centuries. While the early games were not the worldwide spectacle that they are now, it is interesting to consider the humble beginnings that the games had and the growth that they took to become what they are today. Much like the Olympics themselves, Brazil had very humble beginnings as well. In 776 BC, Brazil was inhabited by indigenous peoples, who, according to Adventure-Life.com, have been there for at least 8000 years. Thousands of years away from European colonization in Brazil, the semi-nomadic indigenous peoples lived off of the land. While both the Olympics and Brazil have grown immensely to become what they are today, it is important to consider both the beginnings that they had and the steps taken to become what they are.
1500/1896 AD: "Rebirth"
For the Olympics, the term rebirth fits perfectly. Per Penn.Museum, Athens hosted the first modern Olympics, in 1896, after 1503 years of absence. These modern games were the beginning of what we see today on our televisions, and it was only fitting that the return of the Olympics would start in Greece. In the case of Brazil, the term "rebirth" is a little more confusing. While one could argue that Brazil started taking the steps to become what it is today when it was first colonized in 1500 (Adventure-Life.com), the fact remains that there were always human inhabitants in Brazil since the first indigenous peoples and that there was never a break between inhabitants. While complicated relationships cloud the idea of whether rebirth is the correct word for the growth of Brazil, the fact remains that for both the Olympics and for Brazil, these events marked a change and led to huge growth.
2016 AD: Unification
So here we are. In 2016, we are as advanced as we have ever been, but we still have a past that we must accept as ours. The 2016 Olympics in Rio are a prime example of that, as we celebrate the tradition but also must understand the pain that has come with it. As Brazil acknowledged its history of slavery in the opening ceremonies through their dance performances, we must acknowledge that our history contains many moments that we should be proud of, and moments that we must regret deeply. In Brazil, Africans were enslaved in a system that did not end until 1888. From the opening of the games, to the 1980's Olympic Boycott (Brazil attended), to the incredible athletic performances that we have seen over the years, the Olympics have a deep, rich history, and the 2016 Rio Olympics allow us to reflect on it all.
