ICYMI: The United States Olympic Committee has slated Boston as a bid city for the 2024 Olympics.

Wow.

This is especially exciting for me, since I am fortunate to have two Olympic athletes in my family. My Uncle Mike is the head coach for the United States Men’s Rowing Team and has been in every Olympics (either as an alternate, athlete, or coach) since 1984. He won a bronze medal in Seoul, South Korea in 1988. My Uncle Paul has also competed in the Sydney (2000), Athens (2004), and Beijing (2008) Olympics.

It’s also exciting for me since I attended the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing, China. See an embarrassingly old picture here:

Me with HuanHuan, one of the mascots from the 2008 Olympics.

I remember sitting in Nana and Pop-pop’s kitchen in the summer of 1996 watching the Olympics on their small television. My Uncle Mike was in Atlanta with all those other athletes, and I wasn’t going to miss seeing this. Sure, I was only 8 years old, but those memories will never fade. I remember thinking, “One day, I have to get to see the Olympics in person.” Well, in 2008, that dream came true. I got to see a foreign country, I got to eat their food, see the sights (the Great Wall is absolutely breathtaking), and best of all:  see my family members compete.

If you haven’t attended an Olympic games, it may be a nice addition to your bucket list. You get to see (and meet) the world’s greatest athletes compete. It’s the one time every two years (including Winter Olympics) that the world can come together for friendly competition. The Olympic Spirit is so contagious. And if for nothing else, you get to experience an entirely new country, culture, food, and perhaps language!

I encourage you to join me in supporting the #Boston2024 movement. Not for Boston. Not even for Massachusetts.

Do it for America. Do it for the world!