Word: moment
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...country's economy may be plummeting and its ethnic and linguistic unity cracking, but Spain's athletes head to the Beijing Olympics with newfound pride and self-assurance. "We're seeing a moment in which the country has overcome its longstanding self-perception in sports," says El País sportswriter Juan José Paradinas. "Before, Spaniards didn't see themselves as winners, but as they've won, they've gained confidence. The Spanish athlete - now he believes he's a champion...
...Broader participation in sports seems to have spun a unique thread of national identity as well. Spanish athletes often use their moment of glory to give a nod to the patria. After winning Wimbledon, Nadal ran to embrace his coach and family, then stepped into the next box to greet Spain's Prince Felipe and Princess Leticia, thanking them by name minutes later while addressing the crowd from center court. Sastre spoke on Spain's national evening news of his pride in bringing glory to his country. Through sports Spaniards seem able to find a sense of national identity that...
...these Olympics, China has faced fierce criticism for its support of the Sudanese government, which has sponsored atrocities in the Darfur region. Before war tore the Sudan apart, Lomong says he loved his native country. "I was the happiest kid in the Sudan," says Lomong. Will he take the moment to stand up for those Lost Boys left behind, the ones still coping with war, starvation, and death back home in Africa? Will he call on China to cut ties to the oppressive government responsible for so much destruction? On Friday morning, he was repeatedly asked by the international press...
...Lomong's neutral stance may disappoint some, but given what Lomong has gone through, you can't blame him for just cherishing this moment for what it is - a reward for a very brave man. You can't blame him for staying positive; he's lived through enough negatives in his life. When he was just six, a Sudanese rebel group kidnapped him and 50 others while he was in a church service. "We were praising God," he says. "All of a sudden, soldiers came in and told everyone to lay down." He escaped prison, and ran for three days...
...Lomong went on to become a middle distance star at Northern Arizona University, and has now arrived as a first time Olympian. This is his moment. He's had a traumatic, remarkable story, and he deserves to spend it however he wants. If it's not about China, it's all about him. In Lomong's case, that quite all right...