LOOKING back on the beginning of the Olympics, it is said it was a gathering where one can test his skills against other competitors.
To them, winning is not their priority. It is more of wanting to showcase what they can do and or capable of, and it has evolved since then.
At present, athletes attitude towards competitions have changed. It is not just showing off skills or what they can do but ultimately to emerge as the best in their sport. Competitions at present are built not only to showcase exemplary skills but is now systematically categorized according to specific sports genre.
What haven’t changed is the fact that competition is not a goal. Entering, much more winning a certain competition, is not the end of an athlete’s journey. An athlete does not stop training when he wins, he certainly does not stop training when he losses. Competition is part of training, either he wins or losses. It becomes a lesson for improvement on weakness and a learning avenue for getting better.
Sports is life and life is sports for an athlete. One should not stop learning in life, much more give up when confronted by challenges.
In life, we get up after we stumble and it should not be any different in sports. While we like winning and despise losing, it is all part of learning and getting better. Setbacks are not supposed to be taken as failure but rather be treated as a time to rest and reflect to have your emotions and psychological flow back to better working condition.
In conclusion, competitions can never be a goal. It will always be part of training and learning as it prepares us for we will never know. But what is certain is when we seek to learn, when we embrace training, we become better.