Welcome to PCA’s 2016 Olympic Commentary. We will provide frequent updates throughout the Rio Games, including views on current events through a PCA lens and resources from within www.PCADevZone.org featuring Olympians and their coaches, sports psychologists and others who are instrumental in helping them develop into Better Athletes, Better People.

Several days into the Olympics, the signature moments are beginning to pile up. We’re not talking about every single “thrill of victory and agony of defeat” moment, but those that are uniquely Olympic and tied to Positive Coaching Alliance themes. For example…

… the range of emotion and devotion to sport that poured forth from Colombian weightlifter Oscar Figueroa after winning a gold medal and issuing the universally recognized sign of retirement by leaving his shoes on the mat…

…the in-the-pool and out-of-the-pool doping-fueled rivalry between Lilly King and Yulia Efimova, with all the questions it raises about ethics and sportsmanship…

…concerns about fan behavior, such as cheering during table tennis, which varies according to local custom, and ultimately shows one of the highest Olympic values: a chance for people to understand each other better through sport.

Click here to see our past Olympic Commentary from Kristine Lilly and from Sport Psychology Consultant Robert Andrews.