A Game of Fine Line in Life - Can’t Miss the Thrilling Battles of the Paris 2024 Olympics

The intense battles of the Olympics are being broadcast daily. With a seven-hour time difference, many of the events start late at night in Japan. Initially, I wasn’t particularly interested in the Olympics, nor did I have any specific athletes or events I was rooting for. But after watching several thrilling close matches and some questionable referee decisions that left me thinking, “Wow!” or “That was unbelievable,” I found myself becoming emotionally involved in the athletes’ passion. Before I knew it, I was hooked on watching the Olympics.

I rarely watch TV these days, but due to a cervical hernia, I had to take it easy for a while. The prolonged pain made it difficult to work, so my tasks started piling up. Just when I thought, “I guess I’ll have to work at night,” the Olympics began. It may have been a blessing in disguise. Seeing the athletes push themselves at the Olympics motivated me to get back to work. So, I’ve been working on my computer while watching the Olympics on TV out of the corner of my eye. Interestingly, I noticed that the pain in my neck has significantly improved.

Let’s get back to the Olympics. The first shocker was the basketball match between Japan and the host nation, France, where a terrible call was made. With about five seconds remaining, a French player launched a three-point shot from the corner, and Japan’s 172 cm tall player, Kawamura, jumped to defend. At 172 cm, he’s the same height as me. Kawamura, a short player, didn’t even touch his opponent. His left hand was slightly out, but from a distance, it might have looked like he made minor contact. However, the referee called a foul. It was an unbelievable call. In the States, this would have sparked a major controversy. Since the French player made the three-pointer, they also got a free throw, tying the game. France went on to win in overtime, but without that foul, Japan would have won by one point. It was a heartbreaking moment in Japanese basketball history.

There have been several questionable calls, especially in judo, Japan’s specialty. There seem to be a lot of dubious decisions by foreign referees this time. For instance, when “Mate (Stop)” is called, the players are supposed to pause and reset before resuming the match. However, in the men’s 60kg judo match, Nagayama was choked out by his opponent Garrigós and lost consciousness. It was a clear foul, and Garrigós should have lost. But the referee did nothing and let it go. It was truly shocking.

There was also a questionable moment in Sanshiro Murao’s loss in the men’s 90kg judo match. I’m no expert, but it seemed like a clear waza-ari for Murao, which would have given him the win with awase-waza. However, the referee gave no signal. Murao looked up as if to say, “Hey, that was a waza-ari!” but there was no response. In judo, the difference between winning and losing can be razor-thin. How the referee interprets a split-second action can make all the difference. Murao should have won that match!

The biggest tragedy of this Olympics was undoubtedly the Chinese team’s loss in the men’s gymnastics team event, where they settled for silver. Japan’s ace, Daiki Hashimoto, perhaps still affected by a recent injury, fell off the pommel horse. The other Japanese gymnasts performed decently, but the Chinese team was dominant. Their ace made a major mistake during the floor exercise, planting his head on the ground during a landing, which led to a big deduction. Yet, they continued to score well and built a significant lead over Japan, creating an air of invincibility. However, a disaster struck China during the final event, the horizontal bar. Their top athlete, who excels on the horizontal bar, shockingly fell off. It’s rare to see a Chinese gymnast fall on the horizontal bar. When he attempted his big release move, he fell again. With two major falls and massive point deductions, Japan suddenly took the lead. Thanks to Hashimoto’s perfect finish on the horizontal bar and Oka’s flawless performances throughout, Japan won the gold. This is the perfect example of how victory and defeat in sports are just next to each other.

Sports are a game of fine margins, where victory and defeat often hinge on a knife’s edge. The same can be said of life; whether one finds happiness or misfortune, success or failure, can sometimes depend on the slightest of circumstances. The saying “life is full of uncertainties” often holds true. Even if things are going well or you think victory is in sight, you might suddenly find yourself in a dire situation. Life is indeed a continuous battle.

On August 2, 2024, the Japanese stock market experienced an unexpected and significant decline, the second-largest drop in history, resembling a panic sell-off. That night, overseas markets also took a hit, and the market turmoil continued into the following week. The yen, which had been strengthening, surged from around 160 to the 145 range in a short period, marking a significant shift in the exchange rate. In such a dramatic market shift, who knows how many people made a fortune or suffered heavy losses worldwide? For investors, being on the winning side means wealth, while being on the losing side means poverty. Everyone strives to be among the winners. Whether or not one can adapt to such sudden market shifts can determine their fate. This too is a reflection of how life is a game of fine margins.

Perhaps in my own life, whether I succeed or fail in my daily challenges, feel content or dissatisfied, always comes down to a fine margin. Life is a daily battle. There are good days and bad days. Yet, as long as the sun rises each day, I will never give up. My motto is to keep moving forward and to work hard.

I hope that I can continue to live with gratitude, enjoy good food, work hard until I’m exhausted, and sleep well at night. However, one can never know what lies ahead. I don’t know when life’s turning point will come, or when my time will run out. That’s why I leave the judgment to God, trusting that God, being fair, would never make a wrong call.