Olympics

I'm looking forward to watching various athletic competitions in Rio, and I anticipate a spectacular opening of the games.  The traditional torch lighting and the parade of contestants is always exciting.  I find some of the sports more interesting than others.  Synchronized diving, swimming races and diving contests are my favorites.  I like curling, but it seems to take a back seat when more dominate sports take center stage. 

Recently PBS showcased the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany.  As a child, the only thing I knew about the Olympics was that Jesse Owens won a gold medal which annoyed Hitler, who believed the superiority of Germans would excel.  I learned from the PBS program the detailed history of agreements and plans for the games in Berlin, including the proposed agreement that Jews would  be prevented from participating.  Eventually, after threatening to cancel the games, Hitler allowed one, a German woman to be part of the German fencing team.

Hitler used the games politically to foster his ideology of German superiority.  The stadium was the largest ever built for the games and the opening ceremonies more spectacular than those of previous games.  Ever since the 1936 games, each host country has emulated Hitler by building bigger and better facilities, and presenting grander openings; each succeeding one more awesome than the last.