The Olympics are officially over.

Thank god I don’t have to suffer Simon Dallow anymore. What an idiot. His sign off this evening on the TV1 news continued as it started – “It’s all about me!” I could hear him quietly scream. So smug and self-satisfied. So inadequate.

One good thing the Olympics highlights every four years is the determination and grit that the athletes dedicate to their sport. The winners always pronounce that they dreamed and thought hard about crossing that finish line, or throwing that big throw. Perhaps its the power of positive thought that made them win – not the training and government money.

And so, here’s the challenge.

If we could just get ALL the athletes in the world (not just New Zealand ones) to concentrate really hard on a big world issue – for instance, world peace – then we might just be able to influence events. It’s the perfect opportunity. Several thousand athletes, utterly committed and focused on concentrating their thought to one issue. Let’s encourage them not to be selfish and think about 8 or 9 gold medals – lets encourage them to do something nobler, and solve the worlds problems.

We’d need to run a few competitions to decide on the one topic the athletes would ultimately concentrate on, but that’s what the World Games could be for…practice runs at worthy causes.

I think the idea has legs!

[Image courtesy of Evan Holt]