The big deal about Caymanians

Kareem Streete-Thompson

Thursday, August 19, 2004

It does not matter too much to some people in these Islands that this or that runner or swimmer is going to the Olympics this summer. Most have heard of Kareem, and many know something about Cydonie.

What is the big deal about the three swimmers and two sprinter/jumpers from Cayman going to the Olympics this summer? Just look at the rest of the world and you will get a taste of what this should mean to us all. We are a speck on the world map, and have a miniscule population compared to the other competing countries. Having five athletes qualified in a total of eight events is a lot to brag about!

They will be joining some 10,000 athletes from around the world competing in 28 sports and 37 disciplines with those sports. Only about 10 per cent of these athletes will win medals but the success of the Games is the international spirit and camaraderie it fosters today, in a testament to the original intentions of the event.

The first recorded Olympic Games were held in 776 BC. There was only one race, a 192metre sprint that Coroebus, a cook, won in his birthday suit, earning him the right to be painted on the sides of countless Greek vases and murals.

These games continued every four years until they were abolished in 393BC because of their pagan influences - to the dismay of the Greek Gods.

After some serious promotion, the first modern Olympic Games were held in April 1896, after a wealthy Greek architect funded the restoration of the Panatheneic Stadium (white marble and all). Compared to today’s numbers of over 10,000 athletes, there were only 245 athletes back then – and most of them were Greek. The events included pole vaulting, sprints, shot put, weightlifting, swimming, cycling, target shooting, tennis, gymnastics and of course, the famous Greek marathons. And for tug-of-war fans, this is again an Olympic sporting event, after an 84-year absence.

2,700 years after the first recorded games in Athens, the whole world is caught up in the summer Olympics – even people living on the three little specks known as the Cayman Islands. The world will be cheering – and who knows there maybe a few upsets by the five athletes from the Cayman Islands.

Back...