[K-Women Talk] Victory of Diversity, Memories of Paris

Expansion of Refugee Participation and Inclusion of Transgender Athletes
Inspiring Realization of Olympic Diversity and Humanity

Ernest Hemingway, in his memoir A Moveable Feast, reminisces about his life in Paris, saying, "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."

Although I was not fortunate enough to live in Paris, I was lucky to experience an inspiring time cheering on the athletes who fearlessly pushed their limits across venues throughout Paris during the Paris Olympics. We will remember the roar of our Taeguk warriors in fencing and taekwondo held under the magnificent glass dome of the Grand Palais, and we will never forget the breathtaking final arrow drawn by our archers in the golden-roofed courtyard of Les Invalides, where Napoleon’s tomb lies.

We remember the moving moments of the Olympics because of the values it pursues: "Faster, Higher, Stronger ? Together." If ‘Faster (Citius)’ signifies physical strength, ‘Higher (Altius)’ represents the elevation of noble intellect and morality, and ‘Stronger (Fortius)’ means overcoming human limits with indomitable will. Added in 2021, the Olympic motto ‘Together (Communiter)’ stands for creating a better world through solidarity, embracing diversity and humanity.

The Paris Olympics were envisioned and planned above all to contribute to realizing the final motto, ‘Together’?that is, diversity and humanity. One of the core messages of the opening ceremony was racial and sexual diversity; participation opportunities were expanded for refugees without a country to represent; transgender athletes were granted eligibility; gender equality was achieved in the number of participating athletes, events, and medals; and gender equality was adopted as a guideline for media coverage?remarkable achievements never seen in previous Olympics.

Among diversity issues, gender equality is the most crucial. The Paris Olympics’ efforts toward gender equality brought groundbreaking changes to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) organization. Of the four newly elected IOC members serving in a personal capacity rather than as representatives of National Olympic Committees or International Federations, three are women. Likewise, among the four newly elected athlete representative IOC members, three are women. The quiet emotion I felt when these new athlete representative IOC members were introduced to applause at the closing ceremony will remain a lasting memory of Paris. The greatest moment of the closing ceremony was, for the first time in Olympic history, the women’s marathon serving as the finale, culminating in the awarding of the final gold medal to a Black refugee female marathoner amid worldwide acclaim.

If humans are special compared to other animals, it is because we are creatures of memory. Along with the inspiring stories of overcoming physical and mental limits through indomitable will, we must also remember how much the Paris Olympics strove to realize humanity ‘Together.’ As Michel de Montaigne, one of France’s greatest thinkers, said, “Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things.” Remembering the Paris Olympics’ efforts to realize diversity is a reason we must carry forward this mission, which will continue to be pursued at the upcoming Los Angeles and Brisbane Olympics as a historic human endeavor.

Good memories remain as cherished recollections. Happy times become memories once they pass. While memories dwell in the past, they are the driving force that propels us forward. Let us endure the remaining heatwave this summer, carrying the memories of Paris and the happiness of those times.

Park Eunha, Former Ambassador to the United Kingdom