The Olympics are back, so for the next couple of weeks we can cheer on our Canadian athletes and celebrate everyone else's. There are a number of reasons to get excited about the London Olympics. These Summer Games will see the competition of the first bionic man. Oscar Pistorius will be competing in the 400-metre race without legs. Who isn't going to want to watch that guy run? He's the bionic man. The Atlanta Games of 1996 are the first Olympics I remember. I was nine and I remember Donovan Bailey winning gold in the 100-metre event, breaking the world and Olympic records, finishing the dash in 9.84 seconds. I was at my buddy Scott Campbell's place. That's significant because I don't really remember anything from my childhood beyond little glimpses here and there, and that is one of those glimpses. That's the kind of impact the Olympics can have on someone.Obviously, there are plenty of ways to groan about the Olympics nowadays. What used to be exclusive to amateur athletes is now the playground for professionals too; they still ban women from participating in some sports; the Games are all about generating money and getting sponsorship deals now, as soda and fast food companies sponsor the Games, advertising stuff that no athlete would ever put in their body; doping is rampant in the public eye, whether the athletes provide clean samples or not because it's not just about who can get the better edge but also about which athlete has the doctor who can cover it up the best. There was even a documentary made about IOC members taking bribes during the host city bidding process for the 2012 Games. It's alleged the London committee offered bribes to a number of IOC members to vote in their city's favour. Worst of all, it may be so cold in London that the female volleyballers are going to be forced to cover up. That isn't even a joke; I saw a whole special earlier this week on what that will mean for spectators.Despite all that, I still love the Olympics.No matter what nationality, we can all celebrate and recognize who the fastest man in the world is or the strongest woman because once they capture gold, they truly are the best in the world. Best in the world is a pretty exclusive club. Only one person can be the best in the world at any given time. Every week at work, I really just try for a personal best, something not everybody wants to hear from their Olympic athletes. Don't go for a personal best; that's what we do everyday at work. We want to live through these athletes for the two weeks the Olympics dominate are television experience, and if we were you, we wouldn't shoot for a personal best. We'd go for broke and leave it all out there. I've already suggested that Canada is coming away with 30 medals, a figure that led to me being laughed at by another Canadian who is clearly not as patriotic as I. Our athletes may not be as athletic as the rest of the world's, but we have some decent shot putters and track cyclists, right? There is also a little bit of science behind my lofty expectations and it all has to do with genetics. In 1984, Canada mopped the floor with the competition - perhaps because of a boycott from some countries - raking in 44 medals, the fourth highest that year. It's high time those athletes' kids become the next great generation of Canadian sport, so expect to see a lot of athletes in London sired by Canada's best athletes from the mid-1980s. Though success is not measured by the medal count, I like Canada's chances.
