Being here in Paris for the Olympics has simply been a dream come true, and I have had a great experience so far. Listening to the various guest speakers we have had the opportunity to hear from has been so incredible, and I have learned so much from them. I was especially fond of hearing Karen Webb speak to our class and I enjoyed learning about her career. Her life story and career trek were so fascinating to hear about. From starting her career as a journalist to then eventually becoming the Olympic Advisor to Boris Johnson, Karen showed our class what it takes to become successful in this industry.
With hard work, hands on experience and sometimes a bit of good fortune, Karen demonstrated what it takes to become a success story in the sports world. Learning about how she moved to Qatar for 6.5 years for work was so incredible. As someone who has been to Qatar for a brief period while volunteering at the World Cup in 2022, it was amazing to hear about Karen’s willingness and desire to contribute to growing the sports industry there. Moving across the world cannot be easy and she showed us some of the decisions and sacrifices people make in this industry to be great. Having the opportunity to ask Karen about her firsthand thoughts on sports washing and how Qatar handles some of the criticism it faces was amazing and offered a relevant perspective on this topic which will help me with my term paper.
On another note, going to Lille on two separate occasions to watch the best basketball players in the world assemble for Team USA in hopes to win another gold medal was one of the best experiences of my life. Being able to watch a team with LeBron, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant among several other legends go out there and play the game I love was so incredible. The best part of this experience was seeing people from all around the world come together to celebrate the game of basketball. Fans from all over were wearing a wide array of NBA jerseys and it was amazing watching the game with everyone. Being here in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games has been such an amazing experience and I am so grateful to be here.
