For example, during the games in 2006, a Canadian cross-country skier was participating in a sprint during which her ski pole broke. The importance of this lies in the fact that without two poles, she would likely lose the short race. Seeing this, the Norwegian cross-country ski coach threw her a spare pole from his own team so that she may finish. He thought nothing of this besides the fact that he figured it was the right thing to do. True sportsmanship like this is simply not seen in any national sports, and I really miss it.
Even the fans watching the games exhibit a lower degree of patriotism seen in most other matches. Although I'm positive that each fan wishes for their own country's representative to win, each time an athlete falls and is potentially injured, the fans of all nations hold their collective breath. It's a refreshing change from the times I've worn a Minnesota Gophers hockey jersey in downtown Madison and was told to "fuck myself" from the sixth floor of a dorm building by an inebriated freshman student. Although intense support and blind faith in one's team can be both thrilling and entertaining, I am glad that we have something like the Olympics so that we as sports fans are able to step back and appreciate the abilities of all the athletes, disregarding what nation they hold citizenship to, and the competitions for simply what they are.
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