The Oxford dictionary defines Olympic Games as “a modern sports festival held traditionally every four years in different venues, instigated by the Frenchman Baron de Coubertin (1863–1937) in 1896.” About the Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin stated, “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well. The Olympic Games were created for the exaltation of the individual athlete.”
Since 1992, the Summer Games and Winter Games alternate every two years. Athletes representing more than 200 countries compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals in a variety of sports. However, the Olympics is much more than an ordinary sporting event. People the world over, from diverse walks of life, watch the Games with high hopes and anticipation as their fellow countrymen compete for the prize of an Olympic medal.
Speaking about the competition, Olympic Gold Medalist, Oksana Baiul, exclaimed, “One shouldn’t be afraid to lose; this is sport. One day you win; another day you lose. Of course, everyone wants to be the best. This is normal. This is what sport is about. This is why I love it.” And Australian swimmer and three-time winner at the Olympics, Dawn Fraser, stated, “The Olympics remain the most compelling search for excellence that exists in sport, and maybe in life itself.”
On Friday, 5 August 2016, interim Brazilian President Michael Temer declared the first Olympics in South America officially open, signaling the start of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad and commonly known as Rio 2016, is a major international multi-sport event in the tradition of the Olympic Games as governed by the International Olympic Committee. The Games formally run from 5 August to 21 August 2016, with the Paralympics being held from 7-18 September.
Speaking about the Olympic Games and writing for the Huffington Post, student writer, Morgan Lowder, commented, “The Olympics is more than just a sporting event. When I was a child, I was given my first sense of what the broader world was like by watching the Olympics. Watching my country engage in friendly competition with the rest of the world not only instilled a sense of national pride, but also a recognition that human beings, regardless of borders, are fundamentally the same.”
On the opening day of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the One Voice Children’s Choir, under the direction of Masa Fukuda, released a rousing cover of Katie Perry’s battle cry, “Rise,” on their YouTube channel. Perry’s version of the song was used by the NBC Olympics’ production team during its coverage of the 5 August 2016 opening ceremonies, and will be used during the programming of the games. The song has come to be referred to as a “survival anthem” addressing the challenges of adversity and the struggle to overcome great odds. Of the song, Perry remarked:
Now more than ever, there is a need for our world to unite. I know that together we can rise above the fear – in our country, and around the world. I can’t think of a better example than the Olympic athletes, as they gather in Rio with their strength and fearlessness, to remind us how we ALL can come together, with the resolve to be the best we can be. I hope this song can inspire us to heal, unite, and rise together.
According to the description of the video, “One Voice Children’s Choir has close ties to the Olympic Games as its inception was at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Since then, the choir has received international notoriety for using music as a means to share their talents and deliver positive messages of unity, peace, faith, and hope. The choir recorded “Rise” as a celebration of their founding history.” The powerful song has an even deeper meaning for one of the choir members in particular who lost her father to a heart attack during the recording of the song and filming of the video. As the other choir members rally around her and support her during this difficult time, they collectively made the decision to dedicate the video to the memory of her father, Alan Dean Andersen.
The video was filmed at the Natural History Museum of Utah on the campus of the University of Utah. Abigail Liddell and Camri Cahoon are the featured soloists, with Ethan Critchfield as the beatboxer. The music was arranged and produced by Masa Fukuda and recorded at One Voice Recording Studios. The music video was directed and produced by ARK studios.
The description of the video further exclaims, “As representatives of the future generation, One Voice Children’s Choir’s rendition of “Rise” is a declaration of the hope and peace that come from many nations coming together, and is a loving tribute to the many athletes and nations participating in the Olympic Games.”
