Considering sport as a unifier is not a new concept.
Earlier this week, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach spoke to an audience that included French President Emmanuel Macron and other officials, addressing the importance of promoting “Olympic values” during a period of overwhelming global conflict.
IOC President Thomas Bach gestures during the Athletes' Appeal for Peace at the Olympic Village Plaza ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, on July 22, 2024, in Paris. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
He later met with hundreds of Olympic athletes at the Olympic Village to share a message: “Give peace a chance.”
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“When our founder Pierre de Coubertin re-established the Olympic Games 130 years ago, right here in Paris, he saw them as a way to promote peace among all nations and peoples of the world. He was a true ambassador of peace. Today, you, the Olympic athletes, are the ambassadors of peace of our time,” Bach said.
It's a sentiment shared by two-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser.
Ryan Crouser of the U.S. competes in the men's shot put final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 5, 2021 in Tokyo. (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
“It's been a long time since we, as a world, had a proper Olympics,” Crouser told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday.
“Tokyo did a fantastic job considering the cards they were dealt. I mean, it was difficult to hold an Olympic Games.” During a pandemic. “And the fact that they had one was a testament to their commitment and the effort they put in. But I feel like it missed the key component of the Olympics, which is seeing the world come together through sport.”
At a time when political turmoil seems rife, Crouser agrees that these Olympics feel especially important and the timing couldn't be better.
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“The point of the Olympic Games is to see what unites us rather than what our differences are. We come together to compete in a friendly way, but at the end of the day, the closing ceremony is a very appropriate metaphor for the Olympic Games: seeing all the athletes [come] “Together in one big melting pot and celebrating what really makes the Olympic Games happen. So I think that aspect at a global level is very important.”
Gold medalist Ryan Crouser of the U.S. celebrates after competing in the men's shot put final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 5, 2021, in Tokyo. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
But that message rings especially true for Americans during a period that Crouser described as “probably the most divided we've ever been in.”
“I think just giving people the opportunity to come together and see that both sides, different points on the spectrum of beliefs, can support the same uniform is a really important thing. The commonalities we can find right now are more important than the differences.”
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Speaking to Fox News Digital on behalf of his partnership with Nulo, Crouser is preparing to compete in his third Olympic Games. Widely regarded as the best in his sport, the former University of Texas The standout athlete is looking to defend his shot put gold medal for a third consecutive Games.
Ryan Crouser of the United States celebrates placing first and setting a new Olympic record of 22.52 in the men's shot put final during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 18, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
She won her first gold in London in 2012 and again in Rio in 2016.
Crouser, 31, is also a three-time world champion and holds four NCAA shot put titles during his time with the Longhorns. He holds the world record in both the indoor and outdoor shot put.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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