The 2018 Winter Olympics just started and, in case you missed it, there has been more news about who cannot participate rather than who will.  That will change as soon as the competition starts and the long hours of preparation endured by the athletes and their coaches get tested before billions of eyes.

In Ancient Greece, over 40,000 spectators attended the games and all hostilities in the warring city states ceased for a blessed period of time as the men competed.  Today, men and women participate in sports the Greeks never dreamed of in countries they never knew of.

Four years ago, 2,783 athletes participated in the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia and Vladimir Putin officially opened the games.  Imagine that happening today. The opening ceremony this time will take place in the new PyeongChang Olympic Stadium which seats 35,000 people. @PyeongChang2018 and, for the first time in @Olympics history, the two Korean teams will unite to compete as one in a sport — the unified women's ice hockey team represented by the Korean unification flag and competing as Korea. 

Putting aside the possible freezing temperatures in PyeongChang which may have some spectators frowning, the diversity of athletes will be truly remarkable. And, they will all be guided by the motto “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” first used by the IOC in 1894.  The motto, which means “Faster, Higher, Stronger,” is an expression of excellence, not the glorification of performance or victory. It is about giving one’s best, improving and striving for perfection on a daily basis, both in the stadium and in life.

May the many thousand athletes and coaches, the billions of spectators, all the world leaders and millions of wanabees have the motto in mind — not just on Day 1 of the Olympics but everyday. Maybe some level of peaceful coexistence can extend beyond the upcoming glorious days of healthy competition.