Since 1896 in Athens, Greece, The Olympics have evolved to a culmination of thousands of athletes from 206 countries competing for the Olympics. As of October 2023, five new sports have been added to this 120-year-old tradition: lacrosse, squash, baseball-softball, cricket and flag football.
“The Olympics is a time of community where everyone gets together and watches the highly competitive sports athletes,” Catherine Cheng (11) said.
Baseball is becoming one of the more recognized sports, but there are still ongoing debates on whether to add it to The Olympics,because the Summer Olympics would then overlap with the Major League Baseball season. However, both baseball and softball made their comeback for 2028, which excited some of the White Station baseball players.
“It’s been around for a long time, just like basketball and football, so it just makes sense to be in the Olympics,” Michael Arnold (11) said.
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On the other side of the globe, Southeast Asian countries are also included in these new additions- mainly cricket.
“[I’m most excited about] cricket because it’s a very big sport in my family and in India in general.” Navya Naik (11) said. “Cricket is very popular in India, like how football has a big impact here in the USA.”
Just two years ago, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing were added for the 2021 Summer Olympics. Following this trend, ESPN announced that breakdancing will be included in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Among these multiple new additions, fans still wish for more representation across sports.
“I know that breakdancing was added but I really wish ballet was added too,” Cheng said.
Since there is a global competition every four years, on average, competitors spend 1100 hours on training. These athletes know that they can be an inspiration to many young people all around the world.
“They spend five years training for a couple events and I think that’s such a beautiful thing,” Cheng said. “It’s hard to be dedicated when your goal is five years away.”
When most people think of an Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps pops up in their mind.. Phelps, who won 28 medals, 23 of which being gold, was seen as an inspiration to the young swimmer Naik.
“I used to be a swimmer so I always liked watching swimming and what always stood out to me was just how fast the American swim team was, compared to the rest of the world,” Naik said.
With a population of over 1.38 billion and 8 time winners as a team, the expectations rise higher as more Indians athletes become more active.
“I want to see the whole Indian national cricket team in the Olympics and how they compete on a global scale,” Naik said.
Some believe that an Olympics athlete’s hardwork and dedication cannot be measured on any scale. To Arnold, Mookie Betts is an outstanding athlete
“I hope to see one of my favorite baseball players, Mookie Betts from the Los Angeles Dodgers, [on the field,],” Arnold said. “Betts plays my position of the outfielder. In highschool he played baseball, basketball, bowling, and ran track.
At the end of the day, most people can guarantee that the Olympic spirit is composed of fair play, excellence, and respect: it is not about political, economic, or racial differences.
“The Olympics shows unity with countries and how we can come together through sports, no matter your race and where you’re from,” Arnold said.