Why Olympians matter

Clara Hughes, one of Canada’s all time great athletes, wrapped up her competitive career yesterday with a bronze metal in speed skating. In her press conference she had this to announce:

The international media and Olympic visitors noticed the Downtown Eastside.

So did the five-time Olympian who carried Canada’s flag in the opening ceremony.

Winnipeg’s Clara Hughes won bronze in 5,000-metre speedskating on Wednesday at the Richmond Olympic Oval and donated her $10,000 bonus to the Take A Hike Foundation. The charity runs outdoor recreation programs for inner-city youths.

“I took a wrong turn and ended up in the Downtown Eastside in my little car. I will never forget seeing people suffer so much,” Hughes said in a Canadian Olympic Committee news conference.

“People were just shells of themselves and I couldn’t believe the situation, this reality, exists in Canada. It was surreal, I felt like I was in a movie set.”

Hughes said she can leave Vancouver knowing that she “didn’t just come here and skate in circles.”

I am in Seattle today with a friend of mine, Bob Stilger, and he shared a great reflection with me.  He said he was amazed that the Vancouver games have not made a secret of homelessness and poverty in the Downtown Eastside, and he was impressed that the media had covered the story of Canada’s pooerest postal code and that people were out there protesting and telling their stories.  He was inspired to tell that story as a way of encouraging others to take advantage of major events and festivals to talk about what is really going on.  High marks to Vancouver for not burying the issue, he said.

Back during the Summer Olympics of 2004 I made a passionate argument for why we should spend public money supporting Olympic athletes. The essence of that argument was that the discipline and practice of transforming oneself towards excellence builds a remarkable capacity to see that possibility in others.  Today, Clara Hughes confirmed my hunch, and in so doing challenged all of us not to skate in circles about poverty and homelessness.

After the games are over, there will be deep cuts to services and staff who work with the most vulnerable people in our society.  Will you rest on your laurels or take Clara Hughes example to heart and put your money where your mouth is?  If you are looking for ways to contribute time and expertise and money to good efforts in the downtown eastside, let me know.  If you are interested in the issue of violence against Aboriginal women, there is an Open Space coming up in teh spring that will address that issue and we are looking for wanyone who wants to help to come out and be a part of making new solutions in a world of diminishing resources.

Way to go Clara!