100,000 Koreans cheer for other countries' Olympic teams

As athletes from countries all around the world arrived in PyeongChang this week, they were taken by surprise. Hundreds of yellow-vested fans cheered arrivals at PyeongChang's airport, waving flags both of South Korea and the athletes' home nations.

The cohort is part of a larger group, 100,000 strong, calling themselves Korean Supporters. According to Korean Supporters Head of Communications Ki Yang Cho, “Everyone else in Korea is going to support Korea. We’re trying to focus on other countries.”

The group's hospitality doesn't stop at the airport. At their own expense, members of Korean Supporters will attend events throughout the Olympic games. Their bright yellow vests will make it easy to spot them in the crowd, between 100-120 assigned to each event. They will wave flags of Russia, Japan, Canada, and other countries, and recite encouraging chants and phrases in athlete's native languages.

What a way to spread international goodwill.

Fill the seats at the Paralympics

Yesterday marked the opening of the Paralympic Games in Rio. The 11 days of competition between world-class athletes are notoriously under-reported in mainstream media, especially given the hype of the Rio Olympics last month. And yet the athletes' personal stories of sacrifice and struggle to reach their elite competitive status are just as compelling as their able-bodied counterparts. More compelling, I would argue, because these individuals do it all with a significant disability.

So I was disheartened to hear that ticket sales to watch the Paralympic events in person were slow - only 12% had been sold as of mid-August. That would mean empty stands and sparse crowds to cheer on the efforts of these incredible athletes.

Greg Nugent decided to do something. A former marketing director for the 2012 London Olympics, he created the hashtag #FillTheSeats and set up an account to receive donations through Generosity on IndieGoGo. Nugent plans to use the money to buy tickets for Brazilians, especially children, who could not afford to attend otherwise.

As of this writing, the campaign has raised over $200,000 of their $300,000 goal. Because of Nugent's decision to do something right, the athletes will receive the enthusiastic support they deserve, and thousands of people will see events which may inspire them to achieve their own goals. Because one person decided to act, everyone wins.