The International Olympic Academy gave me the Olympic experience I didn't get in Beijing, but always imagined having if I made an Olympic team. Anthony Wright of Canada, 2008 Field Hockey Olympian (seated on the right)

If you haven't seen me around the OTC for the past month, it's been because I was cage fighting on the Greek island of Santorini - which explains why my wrist is in a cast.  Hey, that's my story and I'm sticking to it... 

But all joking aside, I was actually attending the 49^th Session of the International Olympic Academy for Young Participants in Olympia, Greece.  Over 14 days, nearly 200 people from across the world met and shared their passion for the Olympic ideals of fair play, participation, sport, education, and the coming together of people from different lands and cultures. 

During that time, we listened to numerous lectures on the impact of the Beijing Games, the Olympic Education programs of China and Vancouver, the history of the ancient Olympic Games and the founder of the modern movement Baron Pierre de Coubertin.  Conference participants then discussed the lecture topics along with sharing examples and struggles from their home countries.  From there, each group presented their ideas.  Yet, some of the greatest learning experiences came from the late night talks on the steps of the IOA complex where people could talk and share under a more intimate setting.

During that time, we listened to numerous lectures on the impact of the Beijing Games, the Olympic Education programs of China and Vancouver, the history of the ancient Olympic Games and the founder of the modern movement Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Conference participants then discussed the lecture topics along with sharing examples and struggles from their home countries. From there, each group presented their ideas. Yet, some of the greatest learning experiences came from the late night talks on the steps of the IOA complex where people could talk and share under a more intimate setting.

The conference was admittedly idealistic, but the experience of discussing Olympic education and impacting youth in sport with someone from Sri Lanka, The Maldives, Mali, Costa Rica, Denmark, or Georgia....the encounters become invaluable. As an athlete, you meet and chat with dozens of competitors from other countries, but it isn't until you get the chance to sit with someone from another nation and break bread or share a beer and really get to know that person, their country, their culture, do you begin to understand the complexities of how sport functions for them and their fellow countrymen. You learn that the concept of participation over performance truly is important and meaningful and not simply a gimmick advertisers use.

As an athlete and even within the USOC organization, so much emphasis gets placed on high performance and winning - it's easy to lose sight of the value and the gravity of the Olympic ideals and why the Games are so inspirational to so many people around the world.  

The International Olympic Academy provided a wonderful reminder of why you dream of becoming an Olympian as a kid.  And after attending the IOA's 49^th Session for Young Participants, I'm determined to help keep those dreams alive for our resident athletes, for the kids I coach, for the friends I made in Olympia, and for maintaining the general Olympic spirit at the OTC.  Maybe it's cheesy, but it's at the core of what the Olympic Games are all about.

Over the next few days, I'll post a few stories about my adventures in Olympia and share some of the great things I learned.  Stay tuned my friends!

Here I am with Carlee Wolfe (left) and Lisa Sweet (right) at the opening ceremonies of the IOA conference in Athens, Greece atop Pnyx Hill.  Both work with me at the USOC and represented Team USA.  Stay tuned for some great stories about the IOA experience.