A DIFFERENT KIND OF JOY ?

So far, with the odd exception, the Olympics are going well for China and America.  They top the medal table by a country mile, China with a total of 30 medals, 17 of them gold;  America just one medal behind, with 12 of their also being gold.   As things stand, Team GB have just nine medals in total and just two of them gold, which came yesterday thanks to Bradley Wiggins and two of our lady rowers.

Now it seems that in America and especially China there are expectations that, at each Olympics, their respective teams will come home with a sack full of gold medals and, to be fair, they seldom disappoint.   For them, Olympic medals seem to provide a kind of reinforcement of their national status.  "Look at us," they seem to cry, "aren`t we great?"   Well, yes, they might be and I have no quarrel with that if that`s what makes them happy.

But what strikes me is the difference in attitude towards the winning of Olympic medals, especially gold ones.    In those two vast, heavily populated countries, the quest for Olympic glory and the expectations that accompany it are such that much of the joy seems to go out of it.  And when victory comes, the joy it brings becomes almost a simple, acknowledging shrug of the shoulders, almost as if it`s nothing special, since it has all been expected for so long.

Contrast that with the different kind of joy we had yesterday when our golden duck was finally broken.  We seem to celebrate our near misses, our close shaves, our gallant losers, almost as much as we do our medal winners and therein lies the difference, for when any sporting success comes our way, it`s embraced like a long lost friend and the celebrations are unrestrained, genuine and, in a word, joyful.  

For in China, the determined search for Olympic domination, whilst `succeeding` in a numerical kind of way, might well be squeezing out any enjoyment, any fun in sport for both those taking part and those who watch their every movement.   It seems a bit Orwellian but perhaps it was best summed up by H. H. Munro`s whimsical advice, "When baiting a mousetrap with cheese....always leave room for the mouse."

I hope it`s a trap that we never walk into, however tempting the cheese might be.