'Animal Farm' by George Orwell has this famous often quoted line, "All the animals are equal, but some are more equal than others." So too are Baptist Ministers where there is no hierarchical ecclesiastical system of Bishops and Archbishops.
But this is none more so true in public opinion than at the Olympics – all Gold Medals are equal but some are more equal than others.
No one disputes the value of an Olympic Gold Medal in any sport. To finish ahead of everyone else in the event or competition at Olympic level is a remarkable and astonishing outcome. Only a few Australians knew anything about the Modern Pentathlete event until the Rio Olympic Gold Medal.
The Australian Rugby Girls with their Gold Medal was a wonderful outcome and no less than beating New Zealand for the final acclaim. The water sports, canoe, swimming, shooting 'Gold Medals' all were achieved after a super effort training program, hours of discipline, early morning self sacrifice, family sacrifice – you name it – they work hard, no super hard to see their result.
Each will become family lore and will no doubt the stories of their victories will grow as recounted by family members, bed time stories and the kitchen table for years to come. They might be listed in an archive somewhere, an Olympic publication, a book, but their true is in the heart of the Gold Medallist.
Team sports
Olympic Gold team sports involve not one person but in some cases like the hockey teams 17 squad members and coaches. Consider Olympic team sports – such as the equestrian, basketball, rugby and the like.
Their Gold Medals have not depended on one person but on a team effort and as team that combines and gels and is unified in both endeavour and spirit. It is numbers of athletes performing well together and on a consistent platform brings success.
Some of these sports have, what might be referred to as, a higher bar. The basketball competition is one with the US All Stars team. Hockey is another with a long distinguished record of strength – for years it was the sub-continent, then the Europeans, then Oceania, now it seems South America with the men's and women's Argentinian sides. The British have always been fierce contenders at Equestrian.
The real Gold Medals
In some world circles real Gold Medals are in the swimming. But it is the track however where world opinion recognises the values associated with true and pure – the 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres, 800 metres, 1500 metres, 5000 metres and 10,000 metres.
These Gold Medals are the more equal Gold Medals. Who could imagine any athlete (male or female) winning the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 x 100 metre relay by one person not in one Olympics, not then a second, but a third. This is what Usain Bolt achieved.
Moreover the world Christian media from Rio lifted Christian athletes to our attention with numerous Gold Medal achievements – rightfully so, we rejoiced in such victories by fellow Christians, yet with their feet firmly on the ground, each of these young people realised where true Gold is found.
Mark Tronson is an author of five hockey books and wrote hockey for The Australian for many years. He retains an avid interest in all thing hockey with his most illustrious article being from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics hockey tournament where he re-phrased "ice hockey" terms for the "field hockey" - an article that was syndicated around the world.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html