The Olympics aren't just an impressive display of athleticism, they're an exercise in applying important life skills to a high-intensity situation. Competitors have to overcome obstacles to do their best and accept whatever the outcome may be — even if it means they lose. The sportsmanship showed at the 2024 Games was inspiring to watch. Many athletes not only achieved their own dreams, but they also came together to support one another.
And whether our own kids are athletic or not, there's a lot they can learn from the competitors at the 2024 Olympic Games.
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Keep a sense of humor.
Gymnast Suni Lee was devastated when she fell off the beam during her final competition, but she soon made light of the situation. She posted a TikTok leaning into the trend of regular people showing their lack of athletic skills. She posted a clip of her fall and joked, "Unfortunately I was selected for the Olympics."
Although her mistake cost her the win, it's a great lesson in not taking ourselves too seriously. Humor can get us through, even the toughest times.
Get back up again.
One of the most inspiring parts of watching gymnastics at the Olympics is when they take a painful fall off the beam or the bars, and they just get back up and finish their routine. It's the best example of never giving up or letting a roadblock permanently scare us into not trying again.
Mistakes happen.
Even the best athletes in the world mess up sometimes. For instance, beloved USA swimmer Alex Walsh was disqualified from the 200-meter women's individual medley for making a wrong turn from backstroke to breaststroke. According to Athlon Sports, the error cost her the bronze medal.
It's reassuring to know that even the best of the best have off days.
Winning isn't everything.
Making it to the Olympics at all is an amazing achievement, so even those who don't win gold are going home as champions. Alex Walsh put things into the best perspective after her swimming disqualification. "Despite the DQ, this Olympics has been an experience that has left me feeling happy and fulfilled, and I will cherish that forever," she wrote on Instagram.
We should keep that attitude in mind in real life as well. We may not achieve everything exactly the way we thought we would, but there's so much to still be grateful for.
Lift others up.
One more than one occasion throughout the Olympics, two athletes from the same country would both win medals in the same event. And it was inspiring to watch as the gold medal winner would often share that moment with their countrymate by pulling them onto the top podium for them to celebrate together. Team USA gold medal swimmer Katie Ledecky did that with bronze medalist Paige Madden.
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Let competition inspire the best work.
Olympic athletes seem to relish true competition, using it to inspire them to push harder. Gymnast Simone Biles said as much in a press conference interview when she spoke about her competitor Rebecca Andrade from Brazil. "It definitely put me on my toes and it brought out the best athlete in myself, so I'm excited and proud to compete with her," Simone said.
It's a great way to handle potential conflict in life as well — to see it as an opportunity to be our own best versions.
Everything is a learning opportunity.
After a USA volleyball loss, player Haleigh Washington posted on Instagram that she was taking the moment as a learning opportunity. "Tough loss tonight, but you either win or you learn! We're ready to learn and come back stronger," she said.
What a great way to spin something disappointing into something positive.
Wearing glasses is cool.
One of the breakout stars of the Olympics was gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik who went viral for his pommel horse skills and his cute glasses.
Ophthalmologist Dr. Glaucomflecken praised the glasses representation with a post on X (formerly Twitter). He said, "This is awesome. Many children with glasses are told they can't play certain sports. They are not even given the opportunity to try. To see an athlete at the top of his sport proudly wearing glasses is so important. Representation matters."
Things are bigger than just us.
At the Olympics, the athletes enter the games segregated by country, but once the competitions are over, they all leave in the Closing Ceremony in a big crowd. It's a reminder that things are bigger than any one individual story — we're all in this life together.
Celebrate accomplishments.
Often young girls especially are discouraged from celebrating their accomplishments to the point where they can get imposter syndrome that lasts a lifetime. Watching impressive Olympic athletes celebrate their hard-earned wins is a reminder that we should, too.
When Simone Biles wears a goat necklace as a reference to her being the Greatest Of All Time, kids watching get to see that it's OK to acknowledge when we're crushing it.
It's OK to share.
Sharing is one of the most important skills kids learn when they're young, and they can see that even adults have to share sometimes. At the Olympics when there was a scoring tie, the athletes had to share the podium. That's what happened to high jumpers Iryna Gerashchenko and Eleanor Patterson from Ukraine and Australia who tied for bronze.
Sure, they didn't get their special moment to themselves, but they didn't get upset about it. Sharing is caring, after all.
Ask for help if it's needed.
A TikTok video of gymnast Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece went viral when he had a difficult time reaching the rings to start his routine. He asked for help, and Brazilian gymnast Arthur Zanetti stepped in to give him a boost. Not only did it show the importance of helping people even if they're the competition, but it showed that asking for help in the first place is totally OK — even for professional athletes.
Mental health matters.
Multiple high profile Olympic athletes like gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Caeleb Dressel spoke about prioritizing their mental health during the Olympics. And the Games' organizers stepped up as well. According to the Seattle Times, for the 2024 Olympics, several full-time mental health professionals were made available to see athletes.
For a child watching the Olympics and seeing someone as amazing as Simone Biles talk about seeing a therapist makes mental health such a more accessible topic.
Nothing can hold us back.
Olympians from around the world make it to the top of their sport despite all kinds of setbacks from injuries to illness to family troubles or even political unrest at home. Even if our children don't experience anything quite as dramatic, they can look to the athletes as an example of persevering through any hardships to still be on the most impressive stage in the world.
Life isn't always fair.
Sometimes the best athletes fall or trip and don't win their heavily favored events. Sometimes the judges come down harsher than the athlete thinks was deserved. Sometimes an athlete gets sick and can't perform to the best of their ability. It's what makes the Games so emotional to watch, and we can highlight to our children that life just isn't fair sometimes.
Good sportsmanship reflects well.
The majority of athletes in Paris exhibited good sportsmanship whether they won or lost. They shook hands and congratulated those who beat them, they spoke highly of their competitors in interviews, and they honored those who were — at least on that day — truly better than them.
We love this photo of Simone Biles and her teammate Jordan Chiles bowing to gold medalist Rebecca Andrade of Brazil. Most people thought Simone would win the gold medal for her gymnastic floor routine, but on that day, Rebecca won out. And Simone and Jordan recognized her talent and let her have that well-deserved moment. No sore losers here.
