The Olympics and Paralympics are here: Paris 2024

Sport and Faith Coach Christo welomes us into the Olympic season with some reflection.

"Friday the 26th of July is a big day in millions of people's diaries.

Why?

It marks the start of the Olympic and Paralympics Games Paris 2024.

Around 15,000 athletes will be part of the opening ceremony with hopes high of winning that gold for themselves and their country. After so many sacrifices, hours on hours of hard work and training, successes, and disappointments, those 15,000 Olympic athletes will compete in 329 events in 32 sports to see who the best of the best is. The Paralympics will see 4,000 athletes competing in 22 sports with 549 medals up for grabs. 

When I think about the Olympics and participating in sports, I think about my own achievements. Well, I've never been on a level to qualify for the Olympics, but I did achieve a few amazing successes in running and bodybuilding. But what I realized over the years is that I'm not a champion because I achieved gold or silver medals but because I never gave up. And if I did give up, I found a way to lift my head and try again.

This is why I love sports and working with people to do sports and any physical activity. It's not about coming first, but about understanding that we are all winners and that we can achieve so much more in our lives than we realize. It is about small steps, about trying something new, about learning, about being part of something, yes, it's about finding that champion inside of you.

Enjoy the Olympics Paris 2024 and go out and try something new!"

Click here to find out what's on near you this summer.