The Paris Olympics is in full swing, and athletes from all over the world have brought countless shocking and moving moments with their wonderful performances. Marvel at the calm champions, applaud the athletes who tried their best to defeat despite their tears, applaud the "veterans" who made history, and scream for the "Generation Z" who was born out of nowhere...... Many netizens who watched the event with their children in front of the screen sighed: The Olympics is a rare parent-child lesson.
How do you think about winning and losing? How to comprehend the true meaning of exercise? Cao Jie, a special teacher of Guangdong Province and a visiting professor of physical education and sports training at Guangzhou University of Physical Education, talked about these topics in depth, bringing inspiration and thinking to help children grow up healthily.
Guest introduction
Cao Jie, a special teacher in Guangdong Province, the host of the Guangdong Famous Teacher's Studio, a visiting professor of physical education and sports training at Guangzhou University of Physical Education, an off-campus master's tutor, an expert in foreign master's guidance and teaching guidance of the Physical Education College of South China Normal University, and the deputy secretary-general of the Sports and Physical Health Professional Committee of the Guangdong Health Management Society.
Learn the competition of life from sports competition
In sports, glory doesn't just belong to the winners.
In the men's 100m breaststroke final, the highly anticipated Chinese player Qin Haiyang missed the medal, but immediately devoted himself to the preparation of the follow-up competition; In the women's epee individual competition, the last champion Sun Yiwen missed the top 16, and the topic of "Sun Yiwen was misjudged" quickly fermented, and she herself expressed a rational view of winning and losing.
Facing wins and losses calmly is also a kind of "win". Since it is a competition, it is bound to be decided, and this is where the appeal and cruelty of competitive sports lie. The Olympic venue is home to the world's best athletes, and the competition is bound to be a matter of a millimeter or a thousand miles. And their "top" is a kind of completeness and excellence in sports skills, but also an openness and peace of mind in competition.
孙一文在2024巴黎奥运会击剑女子个人重剑32强赛。 /IC photo
Take Sun Yiwen as an example, in an interview after the game, she said, "I don't think the last sword opponent stabbed me", and the coach of the United States team who watched the game also thought that the last sword should be invalidated. Regardless of whether it is a "misjudgment" or not, Sun Yiwen can face it calmly - "For me, fencing is not only about glory", "not afraid of difficulties, not afraid of failure, always moving forward, always brave, always fighting for love". Respect for rules and competition is the stability and firmness of a mature athlete.
These vivid aspects constitute the charm of the Olympic Games and the inspiration they bring to ordinary people in the arena. Whether it's a game or a life, the gains and losses of victory and defeat have always been intertwined, and everyone must learn to face the wins and losses calmly. This is what sportsmanship teaches everyone.
On July 30, 2024 local time, the 2024 Paris Olympics fencing women's team epee 8 finals: China 45-41 Ukraine, advanced to the semifinals. / Source: IC photo
Inspire children with the Olympic spirit
The core concepts of the Olympic Games are fairness, justice, equality, fraternity and self-transcendence, which are also the principles of life. Former President Oggie of Switzerland, sports adviser to the UN Secretary-General, famously said: "Sport is the best school in life". We should send our children to this school and tell them that sports competition is not only about gold medals, but also about competitions, and that gold medals can be avoided, but we cannot do without the Olympic spirit of high morality and fair norms, and we cannot do without the sportsmanship of respecting opponents, abiding by the rules, and playing fairly.
If the child's personality is fragile, he retreats when he encounters setbacks, he is discouraged when he suffers blows, and he retreats when he encounters resistance, which requires cultivating children's perseverance and improving children's willpower. Never give up until the last moment, win without arrogance or discouragement, and win the tenacity that can afford to lose. Olympians from all over the world will demonstrate this by challenging their bodies. Watching the athletes on the field, listening to their stories, understanding the reasons for success, and learning how to face frustration are exactly the positive energy that children need.
In the Olympic arena, there are those who are desperate and indomitable, those who grit their teeth and never give up, and those who persevere to the end. At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Tanzanian runner Ahwari was injured in a marathon, and when he limped across the finish line with his bandaged and bleeding leg, tens of thousands of spectators stood up and applauded. "My home country sent me here from 7,000 miles away, not to start the race, but to finish it," he said. ”
In the Chinese army, table tennis player Ma Long is 35 years old this year and has participated in four Olympic Games. In this veteran, we see what "perseverance" is. He is still suffering from injuries at a young age, but he still stands at the highest level in the world, which is amazing. There is also 61-year-old Ni Xialian, who will usher in her sixth Olympic Games.
At the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Ma Long served as the flag bearer of the Chinese Olympic delegation. / Source: IC photo
These athletes not only contain sportsmanship, but also "personality and combat effectiveness", and the educational effect is incomparable to any teaching materials.
An interest in sports should be cultivated from an early age
The Olympics are inextricably linked to education. The "Father of the Olympic Games" Coubertin himself is a famous France educator, and his purpose in initiating the modern Olympic Games is to build a new education system, while strengthening the moral cultivation and confidence of young people, so that they can choose their favorite sports, exercise, and cultivate strong personality and perseverance.
Huang Yuting, who won the first gold medal for China in the shooting mixed team 10m air rifle gold medal match at the Paris Olympics, was not interested in shooting at first. In the early stage of shooting training, in order to improve the strength of the arm, it is necessary to practice strength and fixed posture for a long time, and the movements are single and very boring. The friends who entered the training together gave up one after another in the first two years, and Huang Yuting at that time persevered with superhuman tenacity. In the shooting hall after school, holidays, winter and summer vacations, she and her coach insist on training consistently.
On July 27, 2024 local time, in Paris, France, Huang Yuting in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games shooting mixed team 10m air rifle competition. / Source: IC photo
Life is in motion. For ordinary families, children's exercise habits should be cultivated from an early age. Let your child fall in love with sports, even if it's just going for a run or jump outdoors every day, slowly, your child will naturally find what he is interested in and stick to it. Facts have proved that children who insist on sports not only have self-confidence, but also increase their learning and cooperation skills.
Attached: "Three-step strategy of watching the Olympics".
The first step is macro guidance. When children watch the Olympic Games, we can introduce them to the knowledge points about the Olympic Games and rules, as well as the Olympic spirit and some classic stories of the Olympic Games. On the one hand, it can give children a macro control of the Olympics, and on the other hand, it can also stimulate children's interest in watching the games.
The second step is to grasp the details. In the process of watching the game, we can guide the children to analyze and evaluate some of the details of the game, as the saying goes, "the details see the character", through the attention and analysis of these details, children can understand the depth of the Olympic spirit behind it.
The third step is to connect with life. There are many places where the Olympics are closely related to children's lives. For example, in the team competition at the Olympic Games, team spirit is particularly important. By watching the game, guiding and educating children in a reasonable and evidence-based manner, and then linking it with the situation of teamwork in life, children can understand the truth more deeply.
Text丨Su Hongkun, reporter of Foshan News and Media Center