EVERYONE is excited about the Olympics taking place now in London, England. We have eight athletes there, not the largest contingent we’ve had since 1986, but the level of enthusiasm is no less. Each of these youngsters is legitimately proud to be competing on the world’s most prominent athletic stage, and we’re proud of all of them.

Our governor, Eddie Calvo, is even there with the first lady, Christine. The Associated Press sent us a picture of them entering Buckingham Palace for a reception for heads of state, hosted by the Queen.

There was some disappointment during the parade of nations, when the network showing the games in the U.S., NBC, cut away for a commercial just as Guam was coming in. We got only about a nine-second wrap when the break ended, which wasn’t much. But that has happened before. There seems to be a mindset at the network that when the smaller contingents come by – Guatemala, Guam, Ghana – American viewers won’t mind if they cut away.

Guam’s history with the Olympics goes back to the early 1980s, when former Sen. Mike Reidy led an effort to get us recognized as a separate country by the international Olympic committee. It took some time and a lot of persuasion, but we were given a nation’s shot with the hard work and cooperation of virtually all of the local sports organizations.

Our first Olympic appearance was actually in the 1986 Winter Games in Calgary, when Judd Bankhert carried the Guam flag into the arena for the first time. Judd competed in a sport that combined cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship, and he didn’t do very well. But his place in our sports history was established.

And then, pretty much forgotten. The next Olympics, the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, was the first time Guam actually fielded a team of athletes, about 30-some as we recall. It was pretty exciting to be a part of it. Rick Blas had by that time taken over as chairman of the Guam National Olympic Committee, and he and his cohorts put on a great show for the folks back home. We didn’t win any medals, but most of the small countries in the Games do not.

The international experience is what matters, along with the recognition. For a couple of weeks, Guam is virtually an independent country – American but not part of the U.S. Olympic Committee – along with American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Each participating athlete returns from the Olympic Village with souvenir pins and caps, and loads of new friends.

And all of those new friends return home with a little knowledge about Guam and Oceania, more than they knew when the Games began. That’s how international sports competition spreads good will and understanding around the world.

Congratulations to the committee and all of our Guam athletes!