Here we are again.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics torch-bearing ceremony kicked off on 25th March 2021. Yes, it’s being held a whole year later than originally scheduled. Yes, it’s being held in circumstances no one could have possibly imagined. Yes, it’s being held in a world that looks very different from what we would have wanted.
The Tokyo Olympics 2020 Torch Relay began in earnest for its 121-day journey.
But it’s here. And the fact in itself is a testimony to everything the Olympics stand for. Despite all the crazy circumstances, it’s here. It’s here because you can’t hold people back and you can’t hold back dreams. You can stop flights and trains but you can’t stop courage and grit from propelling the determined to their dreams. You can break bones, but you can’t break the spirit.
And on the wings of that indomitable spirit, sports rise again. Humanity rises again. Records will be made and broken again. History will be made and broken again.
The saga goes on. Sports goes on, inspiring us and showing us what humanity is capable of. When we dare to dream. When we dare to believe. When we just don’t give in, no matter what. When we set our mind to do the impossible. Did I say impossible? Nay, there is no impossible for humanity. For in the face of every adversity, we rise; faster, higher, and stronger than ever before.
And this, this spirit of Citius, Altius, Fortius; this is what the Olympics are about. It’s about the races and the shooting and the wrestling and the gymnastics and the silver, the bronze and the gold, yes. But more than that, it’s about the years and years of hard work, determination, and belief. It’s about defying odds.
And no doubt, even with all the Covid swabs, quarantines, and empty, spectator-devoid halls echoing with silence, what we’re seeing unfold before us is a testimony to the capability of sports, and humanity. So, even though our struggles are not over yet, let’s take this time to celebrate, to revel in this ray of hope, this reaffirmation that we will get through this and that better times await; that humanity, once again, will rise.