Page 48 - Seniors Today - July 2021 Issue

Sports

The Greatest

Show on Earth

The Olympic Games not only bring the world together under one roof,

but also show the way for humans to cohabit on a strife-laden planet,
says Ayaz Memon

There is nothing bigger in sport than the There’s also two Wimbledon
Olympic Games. Which event – sports or Championships (1991,1993), World Cup
otherwise – brings the entire world under Hockey (1990, Lahore), World Cup football
one roof, even if for just over a fortnight? final (France v Italy, 2006), F1 Grand Prix
I’ll take this a step further. The five rings (Barcelona, 2007), Commonwealth Games
that symbolise the Olympics represent not (1998, 2010), Asian Games (1990) among a
just the biggest sports extravganza, but plethora of tournaments.
also a route for the human race to cohabit I’ll cease the bragging here. While being
on this strife-laden planet. It is the greatest at any major sports events is enriching
show on earth in more ways than one. and leaves memories for a lifetime,
I’ve reported on two Olympics – 1988 the Olympics transcends everything
at Seoul and 2012 at London – and both else. In scale, scope, pageantry, thrill,
remain the high point of my career in sports competitiveness and not the least in its
writing. By and large, I’ve been associated grand vision, there is nothing else that
with cricket (what else!), which has been measures up.
both passion and livelihood.
Cricket has also provided me with some
magnificent and everlasting memories.
Among them covering the 1983 World Cup
win in England, seeing Javed Miandad hit a
six off the last ball against India in Sharjah
in 1986, witnessing Sunil Gavaskar play his
last Test and Sachin Tendulkar his first.

48