I love Sports. And I have found that Sports has a great capacity to mirror life, by means of physically drawing out the passion from within our human nature. With the conclusion of Tokyo 2020, we have witnessed not only some tremendous sporting action, but also the rise of many a champion. And all this in the midst of a pandemic.
On 1 August 2021, an incredible event took place at Tokyo 2020.
Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy shared the gold medal for the men’s high jump event. Both Barshim and Tamberi had cleared 2.37 meters. However, even after trying three times, they were unable to clear the 2.39 meters bar. When the Olympics officials discussed the modalities to select the winner, Barshim asked to share the medal. The Olympics official replied that this was a possibility, and the rest is history.
“Can we have two golds?” These words of Mutaz Barshim are the most heartwarming moments of Tokyo 2020. Tamberi said, “Sharing with a friend is even more beautiful … It was just magical.” “This is beyond sport,” Barshim added, “this is the message we deliver to the young generation.”
We also saw a great win by Italy as they lifted their second Euro Cup since their first win in 1968. The Italian team headed by Roberto Mancini’s won 3-2 on penalties against England on the English home turf at Wembley stadium.
What is interesting about this win is that the Italian team practices the Catenaccio style of football. Catenaccio’s main principle lies in tight man-marking and the use of an additional defensive player known as ‘sweeper’ (or ‘libero’ in Italian) to form a double line of defense. In Italian, catenaccio means “door-bolt,” which implies a highly organized and effective backline defense focused on nullifying opponents’ attacks and preventing goal-scoring opportunities. It’s not just about one or two-star players, but the entire team of eleven working together. Football fans all too often forget this is still a game of eleven players. Italy doesn’t.
Don’t these sporting milestones teach us a few life lessons?
At CSS, the core values guiding and driving us are teamwork, honesty, clear communication, and a passion for excelling. We believe in nurturing a culture that encourages innovation, creativity, collaboration, and responsibility. We need to maintain these values as we work together as one team, which will help us navigate the changing landscapes. I hope this message inspires you and reminds you of our core values. Let’s work together as one, sharing the responsibilities and the victories as we push ourselves to do our best work on the tough days.
We also celebrated Onam at CSS with much aplomb. Cutting across all differences of race and religion, this unique festival of Kerala brings much joy and hope to all of us. I wish you all a Happy Onam and a year ahead full of togetherness, health, and prosperity in every realm.