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MY OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE
By Mr Basanta KHANAL (NEP)
Office Secretary, NOC of Nepal
The greatest Sporting Event of the world "The Olympic Games" is one of the
most exciting sporting fares of the world. As a Sports lover I wait for months and
months to see the global level of competition with sense of a strong enthusiasm.
I sometimes go crazy when I think of the great moments of that Olympic Arena:
athletes from all over the World, representing 199 nations, nearly 3 dozen
various sports and their events and their officials, technical delegates and the
media personnel from all over the world trying to capture the most memorable
sight of their favourite athletes. A stadium with nearly a hundred thousand
spectators coming alive from the glorious opening ceremony of the Games.
The concentration of the whole world will be there with its own sentiments. When
the final day of the Games comes, I think it may not be a surprise if I say that
I have fulfilled my Olympic Experience by watching every possible event of the
Games on Television. Although, I have been working for our Nepal Olympic
Committee for four years, I have not received this great opportunity to attend
any Olympic Games. But, I feel that I don't have to be disappointed as the Global
Television Media became so active that I can see every game I want with every
detail. The Television Media has made our world a small global village. I think a
person attending the Olympic Games may not have the opportunity to view as
closely as he/she would also have to be busy with its assigned duties. I started
watching Olympic Games seriously since the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and
then the Sydney Olympic Games 2000.
I used to be inquisitive even before joining the NOC/Nepal. I used to wonder
how people organised such great Games with so many sports, athletes, jampacked
stadiums and the Media covering every detail of the Games through the
electronic and printed media. How do they operate the Games so smoothly with
all the events taking place as per schedule on time without any major
incidents? Though, I have noticed some of the stampedes and tragedies killing
countless unaware spectators, I have noticed that such unpleasant incidents have
not happened at any Olympic Games, except from Munich Games of 1972, where
Israel athletes became victims of terrorism. When I joined the Olympic Committee,
I began to slowly understand the working of the Global family of sports: how it is
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