I make no apology for loving the Olympic Games. Yes, they can and have been used for propaganda and political purposes, but, at its core, the idea of all the countries of the world getting together to play games is awesome.

I’m also a huge Greek mythology geek, so the fact that we are repeating something that was done thousands of years ago is amazing in and of itself.

Tonight’s post category comes from my hazy memories. I have watched every Olympics from the 1976 Montréal Olympics to the present day. Some moments have stood out more than others. Thank you to all that have provided suggestions on previous posts and I will be incorporating those into future posts.

As I mentioned in the first post, the plan is for this to be an ongoing off-season series on Saturday nights in which I present to you my five favourite somethings and then you comment and tell me:

• How I’m wrong
• Your Top Five
• Suggestions for the next top five list

Without further ado, I present to you my Top Five Cities To Visit!

1 – 1984 Olympics Opening Ceremony

I did not see the ceremony live even though it was in my hometown, but I did watch it on TV. I remember being so proud of our city and the show we put together!

I’m not an interior decorator, but the pastel colour scheme was perfect. For the time, for the city, for the world. The organizers had reached out to Hollywood talent to put together the ceremony and it showed. The production values were off the charts.

THERE WAS A MAN IN A JET PACK FOR FUCK’S SAKE!

I was able to attend various events during those Olympic Games and those are some of my fondest memories of living in LA.

Pros:

The Olympic theme for these games is still stuck in my head.

Beautiful and historic setting.

Did I mention the jet pack?

Cons:

The Eastern Bloc countries boycotted because the US had boycotted the Moscow games in 1980. Neither boycott sat right with me.

2 – 2012 London Olympics México Soccer Gold Medal

México may, and probably will, never win a World Cup but no one can ever take away the Gold Medal they won in London in 2012. Over Brasil too, which gives one an additional level of pride.

If you can beat the best, it makes the victory that much sweeter.

It is hard to put into words the happiness and pride I felt that day. It wasn’t personal because it wasn’t like that for me. It’s like if my brother or another relative had achieved something incredible. I felt happy for them and I knew how much it meant to the country.

Pros:

It was a once in a lifetime experience.

It made so many people I knew insanely happy.

Cons:

I couldn’t celebrate with my family in México.

3 – 1988 Calgary Olympics Jamaican Bobsled Team

Most people know about this because of the Disney movie “Cool Runnings”, but I remember watching this live as it was happening. The movie did not give the story justice.

I loved everything about this story.

The team was from a Caribbean country and was competing in the WINTER Olympics! The best part is that they actually qualified to get there. They had a seemingly impossible task in front of them and they were able to achieve it.

It was hugely inspirational for me. What I took out of it was that it didn’t matter what people thought you could do or achieve. If you believed in yourself and worked hard, you could do it.

Pros:

It was a super fun story and very motivational.

They were outsiders that shook up the established order of things.

I love to root for the underdog.

Cons:

They crashed and were not able to place high in the standings

4 – 2022 Beijing Olympics Finland Hockey Gold Medal

Have I mentioned that I love to root for the underdog?

The Finnish hockey teams have been good for a very long time. In their history, they had 4 bronze medals and 2 silvers but they had never won a gold. Until 2022.

The fact that they won it against the Russian team that had been their nemesis for decades made it even sweeter. As the horn sounded the end of the game, I could see how much it meant to them. I figured the entire country must have heaved a collective sigh of relief and broke out into smiles and cheers.

Pros:

Finally, Charlie Brown was able to kick the football.

The team was great and the win was deserved.

Cons:

You had to make a special effort to watch live due to the time difference.

5 – 1976 Montréal Olympics Nadia Comaneci Perfect 10s

In those days, Romania was behind the Iron Curtain. I was always fascinated by athletes from those countries as I felt bad that politics got in the way of them being able to get their proper credit.

However, Nadia showed that excellence could surpass any obstacles. She was the first gymnast ever to get a perfect score in competition. At the age of 14.

I was 7 or 8 at the time and the fact that a little girl just 6 years older than me was able to achieve something so unbelievable made me think there was no reason why I couldn’t do things. Age didn’t matter. Politics didn’t matter. Her talent was all that mattered.

Pros:

A unique moment that will likely never be repeated.

I also loved Beethoven because of the 1976 Olympics.

Cons:

You now have people that are hesitant to give perfect scores. Fuck that. If you deserve it, you should get it.

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What say you in the comments?