Olympics

I am not a sports fan. I fortunately married someone with even less interest in sports than I have, at least I played a few sports in college. :-)
But we do watch the Olympics. I love to watch and always have. We have a particular fascination with it this year with it being in China since we have two Chinese daughters. The opening ceremony was spectacular, we let our girls stay up and watch it and they were so excited to "watch China". We enjoy the sites and incites of China and it's people.
It is amazing to us just how different the Chinese value a person. It is all about looks and performance. I was so saddened for the little girl that sang beautifully for the opening ceremonies but was not deemed pretty enough to show her face, so another girl who could not sing, but looked good lip synced her song. That poor child, what does that do to her self esteem? And are her parents ashamed of her or proud of her?
We've watched gymnastics over the past few nights and I just can't help hoping the Chinese win knowing the athletes competing have so much at stake. If they look to have talent, they are taken from their parents at the age of 3 and groomed for gymnastics, only visiting their parents once a year. We heard tonight how one of the gymnasts called her parents and begged her parents to let her come home. They told her this would change her life and made her stay. How sad that they will either be national heroes or bring shame on themselves based on the outcome of these games. I am relieved for them that they did so well.