How I came to love the Olympics

Growing up, like most people who owned a television, my family certainly watched some of the events that transpired every two years when the Olympics, be they summer or winter, were held, but they - save perhaps for the hockey finals (this, being Canada after all) - were not something that we scheduled our days around or which we got too massively excited about. Sure we cheered team Canada on, and each person had their favourite events, but that was about all there was to these games for me back then.

My husband is not, by and large, a huge watcher of sports. He enjoys rooting on Italy during the Fifa World Cup, and will tune in for the occasional game (especially if it's a playoff game) of one sport or another, but the rest of the time, he's not exactly glued to TSN. A point which makes it all the interesting, and in a way, awesome, that he is a massive fan of the Olympics.

While there are certainly some events that he enjoys watching more than others, it really doesn't seem to matter what countries are vying for the gold in whichever sport, if there's an iconic five ring Olympic flag flapping somewhere in the background, he's all over it. It's thoroughly fun to watch someone who doesn't usually bat an eye over most sports make the energy level of the cast of Glee look unenthusiastic by comparison when his interest in the Olympics swings into full gear.

From the grand opening ceremonies to the very final competition, he's there, watching, admiring, and rooting for the underdogs as much as the winners. It's beautiful really, and it so perfectly captures his caring, optimistic spirit and desire to see others succeed.

The first summer we ever spent together, 2004, as our relationship blossomed with the strength of gold medal weight lifter, was an Olympic one - held in Athens, Greece to be exact, and it was then that I first got a taste of what an big fan of the Olympiad my (soon-to-be) future husband was. After work, we'd jockey our flatmates (we were living in Dublin, Ireland at the time) for the TV remote (there was only one TV in the house) and plunk down with our dinners in front of the tube to watch as many of the events as we could cram into one evening.

{A wonderfully vintage inspired poster designed for the 2012 Summer Olympics by artist Peter Gander, that’s available on etsy, features the colours of the British Union Jack, and is the kind of piece that you could hang on your wall to keep the Olympic spirit burning in your heart, much as it does in Tony's, long after the closing ceremonies on August 12th.}




I'd never before known anyone who was so into watching the Olympics, and - then, as now - Tony's enthusiasm for the Games (especially the summer ones, which are his favourite of the two) was instantly contagious. In the years since, between Turin (held in Tony's home country of Italy, no less!), Beijing, and Vancouver, I've watched easily three times more Olympic events than in all my life prior to 2004 put together, and have wholeheartedly enjoyed every last moment of it.

Today, as the Games of the XXX Olympiad kick off, I know that I’m in for sixteen days of stats, scores, semi-finals, gold medal competitions, excitement, energy, and lots and lots of discussions about what transpired in London the day before, and quite frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way, for Tony made an Olympic loving convert out of me eight years ago and I haven't looked back once.

To all the athletes taking part in the Summer Olympics this year, from our humble sofa in Penticton, B.C., Tony and I are behind you all the way, cheering you on and commending you on representing your nation in the world's biggest sporting event. No matter what happens on the medal podium, you're all winners in our eyes!