Medals not be all and end all of Games

After being deferred for a year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was finally declared open at the opening ceremony on July 23, but without spectators.

Despite the pandemic and other challenges, thousands of athletes from across the world have gathered in Tokyo to not only win medals but also to display human beings' fighting spirit and determination to overcome all odds. Not for nothing is the Olympics considered the most prominent international sports competition.

Inspired by the ancient Olympic Games held in Greece, Baron Pierre de Coubertin organized the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. Since then, the Summer Games has been held every four years－it was canceled in 1916 because of World War I, and in 1940 and 1944 due to World War II.

Thanks to the Olympic Movement, the Olympics has grown from a relatively small-scale sports competition among a few countries to a mega sports gala in which more than 200 countries participate under the framework of the Olympic Charter.

To ensure that all sports disciplines are represented in the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee held the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The Summer Games and the Winter Games were held in the same year till 1992. But according to the IOC's decision in 1986, they were placed in different four-year cycles, with the next Winter Games after 1992 being held in 1994.

To date, 108 countries and regions have won at least one gold medal, and 147 countries and regions have won a medal of any type in the Summer Olympics. When it comes to the total number of medals won at the Summer Games, the United States leads the table, followed by other sports powers like Russia, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, China, Australia, Sweden and Hungary.

A total of 119 countries and regions have participated in the Winter Games since 1924, but only 39 of them have won at least one gold medal.

Olympics and other global sports events provide athletes with opportunities to attain international fame. They also provide an opportunity for the host city and country to project their achievements in different fields, including their sports prowess, to the world.

Every athlete carries the weight and good wishes of his or her country. And winning an Olympic medal, especially a gold medal, is the dream of every athlete. An Olympic medal represents the pride of not only the athlete but also his/her country. However, the most important thing in the Olympics is not winning a medal but participating. True, the Olympic motto is "Faster, Higher, Stronger"－with "Together" added to it at the ongoing Tokyo Games－but participation and sportsmanship represent the true spirit of the Olympics.

And it is widely believed that Olympics brings out the best sportsmanship among athletes, because the essential thing in Olympics is not to win but to compete fairly. The Olympics represents the noble virtues of humanity. The fundamental principles of Olympics are embodied in the Olympic Charter, which also sets the guidelines governing the Olympic Movement.

The Olympic Games is against any form of discrimination on grounds of country, region, race, religion, gender and ideology. It is about inclusion, and hard work and sacrifice, rather than success. It is also about open hearts and open minds.

The Tokyo Summer Games, we hope, proves to be the proverbial light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. The Chinese delegation to Tokyo is the largest the country has sent to a sports event overseas. The country is also set to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in February next year.

"All forms of sport for everyone; that is no doubt a formula which is going to be criticized as madly utopian," Baron Pierre de Coubertin said. He was committed to spreading sports to every corner of the world so people would learn the value of hard work and respect the spirit of sacrifice. Over the years, the Olympic Movement has gained in strength while spreading the spirit of solidarity and mutual understanding across the world－the spirit of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

The author is an expert in Olympic Studies.