Celebrating the Summer Olympics Issue 1 Home Page

Pressure on Young Olympic Athletes Photo: S. Peters Do young athletes training for the Olympics make too many sacrifices? Once I heard an Olympian saying that a good trainer makes a good human, not an art. In this respect, the idea of training young athletes is a good point. But others say that the example of the Moscow Olympics which many countries boycotted was a bitter experience for many athletes who were trained until the day of the government decision not to participate in the games. Therefore, it depends on the person how an athlete accepts the result of training for many years since childhood. But as far as I know, a good sportsman makes a good person or human being. I wonder if they are really sacrifices or not. Seijo Fujioka from Japan I think if they really want to get a good result in the Olympics, and they practice for it, they don't think it's sacrifice. I think it's good for people to have something they can devote themselves to. If they didn't have much time for practice when they had the chance to participate in the Olympics, they might regret it after the games. I think they should practice for it as much as possible because the time is limited. If they do so, they can be satisfied that they did their best in the games. Masako Kai from Japan I don't think it's good for teens to devote so much time to training for the Olympics because I think that too much pressure is not good for anybody and some young athletes want to do other things. If they are training all day for the Olympics, they will forget how to enjoy athletic events and will hate them. They need to take a rest sometimes. I would not be willing to make that kind of sacrifice for an athletic event because I don't want to forget how to enjoy an athletic event. Everyone has to enjoy Olympic games, I think. Winning a game isn't always important. Hiromi Maruyama I don't think it's always good for teens to train too hard for the Olympics. Young athletes have to think only of the Olympics. They are very young, so they have to experiment with everything and expect training. They must enjoy school life and some kind of playing and partying. It can be important to win in the competitions of the Olympics, but we tend to put pressure on young athletes. If they don't win, they feel shocked. They are athletes, but also teenagers. Too much pressure is too hard for athletes. I think it is more important to take part in the Olympics than to win the Olympics. Ai Onitsuka I think it's not good for youngsters, but if they want to win the Olympic games, they have to practice many hours every day. Most young people want freedom, but if they want to accomplish something, it is important that they accept some restrictions. Maybe they feel very annoyed and they want to stop their practice, but these feelings are connected to their strong will to win the Olympic games. But it is more important that they take holidays sometimes. They have to refresh their feelings, so they can practice with new spirit. Meiko Miyagawa Most Olympic athletes start practicing sports in early childhood. The practice is very hard. Sometimes they cry, but they continue the practice because they like their sports. When I watched a TV sports interview, a small girl said, "I want to become an Olympic champion." I was surprised because the girl was only 6 years old. In China, if they become Olympic champions, they are given much money by their country. So even if they don't like their sports, they have to do it all their lives. The Chinese become champions for their country. But I think that is not true. Athletes become champions for themselves. I think that is true. Mitsuaki Eto To get good results and to win, they have to build good skills by devoting much time to training; however, I do not think that somebody pushes those teenagers to be Olympic athletes. I mean if those youngsters choose to be Olympic athletes, there is no problem. I think they have to have a chance to stop whenever they want to. I am not willing to make that kind of sacrifice for an athletic event because I am not interested in athletics. Nayef Al-Fahed I think if the teenager wants to take part in the Olympics, to practice many hours each day is not bad, but I want the teenager to play like other children, too. Childhood is very important, so I think that teenage athletes had better go to school. Watching the Olympics on TV, I feel like taking part in the Olympics. Then I am willing to make that kind of sacrifice. To participate in the Olympics and get a medal is a very wonderful thing. It is very good memory and gives confidence to athletes, so I think that if teenage athletes spend a lot of time on practice, it is good. I want them to compete in the Olympics and get a medal. Yasuyo Goto Athletes need to train very hard in order to increase their skill and to give a great performance. Too much training is sometimes not good for their health, but it cannot be avoided as athletes. When athletes face problems (for example, an injured leg, wanting to do other things like other school friends, too much pressure, not wanting to train anymore, difficulty in losing weight, wanting to study), they have to choose their own way to continue or quit. The level of gymnastics has become higher and higher. We enjoy watching their performance but must remember their hard training. It's good not only to win in the Olympics but also to enjoy doing gymnastics. I watch several gymnasts, not only the best gymnasts who can get medals. Yoku Dokura I think teenagers should spend less time training because they don't have free time. If they practiced a few hours and had a little free time, they could lead a full life. But if they want to win the Olympic Games, I think they need to practice a lot of hours each day. If I were an Olympic athlete, I would train a long time each day because I would want to get a gold medal. Yuri Syoyama More on Olympic Games: Some Thoughts on Women's Gymnastics Students Design Olympic Mascots Carrying the Olympic Torch Return to: Celebrating the Summer Olympics | Issue 1 | Home Page TOPICS Online Magazine - ©1997-2007- Sandy and Thomas Peters - topics.mag@gmail.com