Stories of human emotion, endeavor and competitive struggle contine to come thick and fast at the London 2012 Olympics. None more so than the story of Shin Lam. A South Korean medal prospect in the sport of fencing, Shin was denied a place in the semi-final due to an error in judgement from the officials. Through no fault of her own, Shin was aghast to find the clock add been reset right at the end of her contest with Britta Heidemann, allowing Heidemann the opportunity to score the vital point needed for victory and a place in the final.
What followed was a breakdown of Olympic proportions. It involved a flood of tears and outpouring of emotion during a sit-in protest by Shin, who, as instructed by her coach, remained in the field of play for over an hour.
From a coaching perspective, this triggers the question; what can we do in adversity? This incident was the culmination of 4 years of training, 4 years of blood, sweat and tears in trying to reach a goal on the biggest stage.
Unfortunately adversity and injustice are part of life. Although unfair, it happens. Difficult as it is, one way of overcoming adversity is to try and explore the different perspectives that always exist in any situation. Its useful to remember that situations shift and change constantly. What is happening in the here and now will be different in the ensuing minutes, hours, days and weeks.
In the case of Shin, she probably did the right thing. It allowed the release of natural emotion (always important), it created media interest, which highlighted her plight, and it showed the human element of competition, struggle and endevour. Over the coming days I'll be keen to see how this story unfolds and how Shin's perspective may change.
You can read the full story of Shin Lam here http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/30/south-korean-fencer-protest-olympic
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