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Debate,

Would You Want to Be an Olympic Athlete?

Is a shot at gold worth the work?

By Alex Winnick

From the February 2026 Issue

Lexile: 600L-700L, 800L-900L

Featured Skill: Main Idea and Supporting Details

Standards

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Imagine this: You’re standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people. The crowd cheers wildly as a shiny award is draped around your neck. You can barely believe it. You’ve just won a gold medal at the Olympics!

Many athletes would do anything to experience this moment. But others say it’s not worth the time and effort it takes to get there.

What do you think: Would you want to be an Olympic athlete?

Picture this: You’re on a stage in front of hundreds of people. The crowd cheers as an award is placed around your neck. You can’t believe it. You’ve just won a gold medal at the Olympics!

Many athletes would do anything for this moment. But others say it’s not worth the time and effort it takes to get there.

What do you think? Would you want to be an Olympic athlete?

The Best in the World

Mike Powell/Getty Images

Michelle Kwan

There are many reasons people dream of competing in the Olympics. For starters, Olympians are among the greatest athletes in the world. Wouldn’t you want to be the fastest, strongest, or best athlete in your sport?

Plus, you’d have the honor of representing your country. And, if you win, you wouldn’t take home a medal just for yourself—you’d also win it for your country!

“There was nothing like it,” said Michelle Kwan. She’s a figure skater who won two Olympic medals for Team USA.

As an Olympian, you could be a role model for future generations. One survey found that nearly 75 percent of kids said that watching the Olympics made them feel inspired to work hard. If you competed in the Olympics, you could become someone’s hero.

Last, Olympic athletes get to travel worldwide and hang out with other sports stars. This year’s Winter Olympic Games are taking place in Italy. Other recent host countries include Brazil and China. You could make new friends from all over the world—or even meet one of your heroes!

There are many reasons people want to be in the Olympics. For starters, Olympians are among the best athletes in the world. Wouldn’t you want to be the fastest or strongest athlete in your sport?

Plus, you’d have the honor of representing your country. And, if you win, you wouldn’t win a medal just for yourself. You’d also win it for your country!

“There was nothing like it,” said Michelle Kwan. She won two Olympic medals for Team USA.

As an Olympian, you could be a role model for others. One survey found that nearly 75 percent of kids said that
watching the Olympics made them feel inspired to work hard. If you competed in the Olympics, you could be someone’s hero.

Last, Olympic athletes get to travel. They can hang out with other stars. This year’s Winter Olympic Games are in Italy. Past Olympics were in Brazil and China. You could make new friends from all over the world. You could even meet one of your heroes!

Not Worth It

But others think the life of an Olympian requires too much sacrifice. Most athletes start training when they’re very young. Some kids practice for eight hours a day. That’s about how much time you spend in school!

Speaking of school, you’d still have to do your schoolwork while you’re on the road, traveling to competitions. And all that time training means there would be almost no free time for hobbies or friends.

“In short, for the average person to become an Olympian, it would require big lifestyle changes and a huge amount of dedication,” says Michael Todorovic, a scientist who studies Olympians.

You could also get injured before you even get a chance to compete. That’s what happened to U.S. skier Heidi Kloser in 2014! She hurt her leg just moments before her race began.

What’s more, the Olympics last just a few short weeks. You’d be busy competing and training for most of that time. Some point out that traveling to an exciting country for the Games isn’t that interesting if you don’t have time to check out any of the sights.

So as you watch Olympians compete this month, think about this: Would you want to be one of them?

But others think the life of an Olympian isn’t worth the sacrifice. Most athletes start training when they’re very young. Some kids practice for eight hours a day. That’s about how much time you are in school!

Speaking of school, you’d still have to do your schoolwork while you’re traveling to play your sport. And all that time training means there would be almost no time for hobbies or friends.

Michael Todorovic is a scientist who studies Olympians. “For the average person to become an Olympian, it would require big lifestyle changes and a huge amount of dedication,” he says.

You could also get injured before you can compete. That’s what happened to U.S. skier Heidi Kloser in 2014! She hurt her leg just before her race started.

What’s more, the Olympics last just a few weeks. You’d be busy competing and training for most of that time. Some say that traveling somewhere for the Games isn’t that interesting if you don’t have time to see the sights.

So as you watch Olympians compete this month, think about this: Would you want to be one of them?