At Olympics, values transcend world’s divisions

What were some of your duties as a volunteer during the Olympics?

Wilson: First of all, I was deeply honoured to be selected, of course. The process was complex. It included interviews and online training. Once we were at the stage of role assignments, then there was opportunity to express both interests in particular and experience that fit.

I worked at the Cortina Olympic Village, at the curling center and biathlon arena, and as an on-call chaplain. 

At the Olympic Village, I helped with athlete and coach arrival and accreditation. I served as one of the monitors for media day. I worked in the athlete area to ensure that only people with the proper accreditation could enter. I had a lot of interaction with athletes, coaches, and staff – and on media day, of course also the media! We had approximately 1,400 athletes and staff who resided at the Olympic Village. I enjoyed all three roles.  

In none of those roles was I – or any volunteer – to be an amateur sports psychologist. However, as a former athlete, coach, and trainer, especially once the games were going, sometimes I could tell that a word of encouragement or an extra “how’s it going” could be useful.

The way the chaplaincy team worked at the Cortina Olympic Village, was that we were strictly on call. There was never a time when we were to initiate any conversations about faith or anything close. That comes partly out of respect for all beliefs and as an explicit avoidance of proselytism. It’s also just to respect the mental space of the athletes and staff. They have a ton of pressure, so just wait and see if anyone wants to talk. Don’t initiate. 

There was a prayer room that was very simple and was open when the residency center was open, which was most of the time—from 6 am until 11 pm. If someone wanted to talk with a chaplain, there was a desk on the ground floor and also an internal phone number posted they could call, and then we could be contacted. There were Protestant, Roman Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, and Pentecostal chaplains that I recall.

At the Olympics, were you were able to see how compassion and hospitality can bridge cultures? 

Wilson: For me, volunteering was not about only helping. That is important. But more than that it was about joining the heartbeat of the world and showing how compassion and hospitality, which are two key virtues in many faiths including Christianity, can bridge cultures and even inspire wholeness in a time of much fragmentation.

Clearly, the Olympics are not perfect. There are issues that always arise. This is only my personal opinion, but I think the wrong call was made on Ukrainian skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych's disqualification from the Winter Olympics over his helmet depicting fellow athletes killed since Russia's invasion.

I met him and his father on media day, and helped them with his first set of interviews. This was before the helmet was revealed. I liked him, so I’m honest enough to know that influences my opinion, but I think that Heraskevych’s helmet represented an attempt to memorialize and was not political in the sense intended by the regulation, which I understand to be provocation.

Back to your actual question, the Olympics offer a tremendous opportunity —as good or better than any recurring event in the world -- to call people to their better selves. 

Sport has the power to change the way we understand the world. It can unite families, friends, communities, nations – and on occasions, the whole world – in a way that few other activities can. Not saying it always does, of course, but it can be harnessed to decrease violence, promote equality, challenge discrimination, and build peace.

This potential power of sport to be a force for good is perhaps never more apparent than at mega-sport events.

With the Olympics,  we see this capacity transcend borders and ideologies, and provide a universal language. Ostensibly, at least, the rules and the goals and the challenges are the same for everyone. Even while competing, we can celebrate our shared humanity.

One specific example: I was helping an athlete from Iran when an athlete from Israel approached from the other direction. Both of them paused, greeted each other, and wished each other well. To me this was a beautiful moment, especially given the tense relationship between their two countries. 

I also saw athletes encouraging each other in the dining hall area and even giving advice to each other from time to time.. At the biathlon arena, the fans are rabid – but the intensity was first of all for the sport; secondly, for the athletes from their country. I never one time saw someone rooting against another athlete. When the athlete would come to the portion where they are shooting the rifle, the whole crowd would cheer "yay!" when they hit the target and moan "oh" when they did not, regardless of who the athlete was. 

What are some ways that we can all we take with us—even with the Olympics ending—this sense of wholeness and hope?

Wilson: When I used to coach basketball, I would sometimes say that in the gym, you had 10 people on the court who desperately needed rest and 1,000 people in the stands who desperately needed exercise. In a way, that type of lesson applies here. Now it's a time to move from being spectator to participant. 

Solidarity. Inclusion. Equality. Peace. Respect. Those are the five values named just outside the athletes dining hall. Each of us have ways in our lives, practically every day, to incorporate one or more of them. In that way, the spirit of the games lives on. 

We can celebrate both common cause and diverse perspectives. We can promote shared humanity knowing that the real challenges facing the world transcend boundaries and so any solutions must do the same. Together we can hope and work for a tomorrow that is better than today!