UAE Press: Tokyo Olympics: Moving Forward, United By Emotion

(@FahadShabbir)

UAE Press: Tokyo Olympics: Moving forward, united by emotion

SHARJAH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 24th Jul, 2021) A UAE daily newspaper lauded the significant theme of the opening ceremony on Friday, which was ‘Moving Forward,’ as ''a positive look into the future in the middle of the coronavirus gloom that has enveloped the world.'' ''This is also the theme of the closing ceremony on August 8. But there is an additional theme in the opening ceremony called ‘United By Emotion,’ which reflects the sentiment across the globe as there has been a rare sense of international togetherness during the global pandemic of the past one-and-a-half years,'' opined The Gulf Today in its daily editorial.

The Sharjah-based daily English commented that the Tokyo Olympics which should have been held last year but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic have got off to a magnificent but subdued start in the National Stadium, which was mostly empty but for a thousand and more spectators, Japanese Emperor Naruhito, who inaugurated the games, and the athletes from all countries.

''Whatever the controversies which plagued the International Olympics Association (IOA) at one point of time, the games have been a source of inspiration of immense courage, inspiration and exceptional achievement in the sporting events,'' the paper remarked.

I ''The idea behind the games is to celebrate the physical prowess of human beings in a way that does not harm people, and that sport unites human beings of all nations, colours and races. At least one in four years, national teams gather and compete against each other, win and lose, without acrimony and enmity. This despite the wars between countries, ideological, economic, and military rivalries between countries,'' it noted.

It said: ''The Olympic Games keep the hope alive that human beings can compete with each other, celebrate each other’s achievements and show that humanity can co-exist in peace.'' ''The Olympics is more than an international sporting event. It uses sport as a symbol to bring people together, which is an important thing in a divided world. While we enjoy the sporting spectacle and applaud the achievements of individuals and teams in diverse events, the Olympics spirit transcends the sport. It holds out the hope of unity of mankind,'' The Gulf Today concluded.