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MY OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE
By Mr William GLENWRIGHT (AUS)
Like most Australians, I have inherited the wonderful gene of sport. What has
transpired throughout my career however, is not Olympic glory on the sporting
field, but something that I treasure with equal reverence. And as I look back on
my Olympic experience and how it has influenced my philosophy on life, one
question stands out alone-have I been educated in Olympism, or by Olympism?
If I was to choose a point where my Olympic experience began, I would have
to nominate the Moscow Olympics, where as a wide-eyed 6 year old, I sat with
my family, glued to the television set without the faintest idea of the difference
between handball and volleyball or even a remote appreciation of the athletic
prowess being displayed. My overwhelming (and in fact solitary) memory of these
Olympic Games was the Russian dancing and the song Moscow Moscow, that
was played before each telecast which served as somewhat of a calling card by the
television set to let the family know that the coverage was about to begin.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to thrill you with an inspiring story of Olympic
triumph that evolved from this, my first Olympic experience. I simply didn't have
the talent required-and the limp remains of my mother's prized flowers and the
countless broken windows from failed sporting pursuits are a testament to this
fact. I was lucky in that as a young boy growing up in Sydney, I was able to try
just about any sport that opportunity provided me. Whether this was against the
common foes of friends and family, or whether I pitted myself against the old
legends of sport, brought to life through the vivacious memory of an 8-year old,
there was no greater joy in life than heading down to the backyard and playing
sport.
As I progressed up the age ranks and my sporting aspirations became more
realistic, I resigned to the fact that any Olympic experience of mine would be
obtained off the paddock, rather than on it, so to speak. After finishing school,
I commenced a Sports Administration degree and was happy in the belief that
life couldn't get much better than this-studying sport for a university degree.
It was at University where I began my Education in Olympism. No longer
where the Games a mere sporting carnival that delivered me from the real world
into a state of Utopia for two weeks. The Games took on a new meaning, as I grew
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