"It was just the right thing to do": 6 heartwarming examples of sportsmanship at the Paris Olympics

From an innovative (and subsequently controversial) opening ceremony to shattered world records across the sports spectrum, the Paris Olympics have marked a celebratory return to the Games we knew and loved pre-pandemic. While the Tokyo Olympics still saw the stunning athleticism of competitors around the world, the silent stadiums and stringent public health-related restrictions left much, much more to be desired from the international event.

Perhaps that’s part of the reason we’ve witnessed so much camaraderie this time around. In Paris, the sportsmanship and solidarity displayed by Olympians have captured our attention almost as much as the competitions had themselves. Rather than viewing their opponents as enemies, many athletes seem to be emboldened and gladdened by their competitors’ successes. Others have been quick to lend a helping hand in moments of distress, rushing to assist another Olympian without a second thought.

The displays of sportsmanship have been so notable, in fact, that former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama underscored one interaction between a trio of gymnasts, writing on X/Twitter, "I'm still not over this beautiful moment of sisterhood and sportsmanship!”

“You can just feel the love shining through these ladies,” Obama added.

From start to (near) finish, here is six examples of supportive sportsmanship between Olympians at the Paris Games.

02

Laotian sprinter helps collapsed opponent

Lucia Moris of Team South Sudan lies injured on the ground as Silina Pha Aphay of Team Lao People's Democratic Republic checks her condition on August 2, 2024 in Paris, France. (Michael Steele/Getty Images)

When Lucia Moris of South Sudan crumpled to the ground during a preliminary heat of the women’s 100m dash in seeming agony, the first person to rush to her aid wasn’t a medic, but another runner. Silina Pha Aphay, an athlete from Laos, ran back to where Moris lay shrieking and clutching her right leg on the lavender track at Stade de France. Pha Aphay called for help from nearby medics and stood alongside them as they began to triage Moris. “Just cry out,” Pha Aphay told her competitor, urging her to indulge her pain if she needed to.

“I can only share her pain,” Pha Aphay told The Washington Post. “We are athletes. We are 100 meters – the same. All 100 meters athletes have to know how being hurt feels. And this is a big competition. It’s a big dream to come here. But you get hurt here. So everybody knows the feeling.”

03

North and South Korean athletes take a podium selfie

Gold medalists China's Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, silver medalists North Korea's Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, bronze medalists South Korea's Lim Jonghoon and Shin Yubin pose for a selfie: Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 30, 2024 (Yao Yingkang/Zhejiang Daily/VCG via Getty Images)

In a surprising show of unity, table tennis athletes from North and South Korea posed for a selfie atop the podium following the mixed doubles medals matches. The long-divided nations seemed to suspend cross-border tensions after South Korea nabbed bronze and North Korea won silver — the interaction quickly circulated online after South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon whipped out his phone to digitally document the celebration.

As NPR noted, “It’s also a reminder that while the demilitarized zone divides the north and south, it did not sever centuries’ worth of Koreans’ shared family ties and culture.”

The podium moment is all the more special, given the rocky start the nations saw during the Olympic opening ceremony when South Korea’s 143 athletes were incorrectly introduced as being from North Korea. “The problem was identified as a human error, for which the IOC is deeply sorry,” Olympic organizers said in a statement.

04

Chinese badminton player waves tiny Spanish flag

China's silver medallist He Bing Jiao on the podium at the women's singles badminton medal ceremony during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 5, 2024. (LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images)

When He Bingjiao of China won the silver medal in badminton, she made sure to pay tribute to her opponent in the finals, who was unable to be there. As she stood on the podium, He held her medal in one hand and a minuscule pin with the Spanish flag in the other, a symbol meant to honor Spain’s Carolina Marin, who had been leading the standings until she suffered an injury and was forced to withdraw.

Speaking to reporters during the medal ceremony, He said, “I hope she can see this scene and I wish her a speedy recovery,” according to the BBC.

05

Brazilian handball player carries injured Angolan captain

Tamires Araujo Frossard of Brazil carries the injured Albertina Kassoma of Angola off the court during the women's handball preliminary round group B match between Brazil and Angola at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 3, 2024. (He Canling/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Halfway through an Aug. 3 handball match between Angola and Brazil, with both teams vying for a spot in the quarter-finals, Angolan captain Albertina Kassoma suffered a devastating knee injury. Unable to lift herself from the ground — even with assistance from Angola’s team doctor and Brazilian goalkeeper, Gabriela Moreschi — Kassoma seemed doomed to remain on the court. That is, until Brazil’s Tamires Araujo Frossard, a fellow line player and Romanian club league competitor, jumped in to scoop her up and carry her to the sidelines.

"The injury happened close to me," Frossard said of her proximity to the fallen Kassoma, per the Olympic's official website. "I kept playing at first because I didn't think it was that serious. When I saw her on the ground, I thought she wouldn't be able to get back up, because it's very rare that you fall and don't get up.”

06

Simone and Jordan bow for Rebeca

Gold medalist Rebeca Andrade (C) of Team Brazil, silver medalist Simone Biles (R) and bronze medalist Jordan Chiles (L) of Team United States celebrate on the podium on August 05, 2024 in Paris, France. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

In what was perhaps the most visually stunning and viral show of sportsmanship so far in Paris, Team USA women’s gymnasts Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles revered Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade in her gold medal floor performance by literally bowing to her on the podium. Biles — the most decorated American Olympics gymnast of all time — finished runner-up to Andrade, one of her fiercest rivals, in the floor exercise on Aug. 5. After the bow, Andrade touchingly reached for Biles and Chiles’ hands

Speaking to TODAY about the move, Biles said, “I think it's all about sportsmanship, and we don't care whether we win or lose. We're always going to keep a good face and support our competitors because they've worked just as hard as we have for that moment.”

"So you have to give them their flowers," she continued, speaking about the bow. "And that's exactly what me and Jordan were doing, and we were so happy for her. She deserved it. She had the best floor routine of the day and in the Olympics. So it's like, yeah, she deserved it."

“It was just the right thing to do,” Biles said, according to the Associated Press. “She’s queen.”