When John Lennon’s 'Imagine' Struck A Chord In Olympic Showdown (image-X/Paris2024)
It was the final match between Brazil and Canada’s women’s beach volleyball teams at the Olympics at Paris this year. Naturally, tensions were high and so were the stakes. In the middle of the match, a heated argument cropped out.
Brazil’s Ana Patricia Silva Ramos and Brandie Wilkerson from Canada got into an argument in the tiebreaking third set. As the argument heated up, the players inched closer to the net and eventually up to the edge of the net on either side.
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As the argument descended into finger-pointing, the referee handed Wilkerson a yellow card made desperate attempts to maintain peace and mediate. But to no avail.
Then came the DJ with just the right tunes.
The Eiffel Tower Stadium DJ changed the mood by playing John Lennon’s 1971 hit ‘Imagine’ over the PA system. Soon the crowd chimed in and started singing along.
With the lyrics echoing the message of peace and unity all around, the players could not help but break into smiles and laughter. Tensions lifted and the players went back to playing.
The magical moment has gone viral on social media.
Ok, this is amazing:
1/ Canadian and Brazilian players are having a heated chat at the net during the women’s beach volleyball gold medal match
2/ DJ plays John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’
3/ Players look at one another and smile
4/ Crowd starts singing along pic.twitter.com/m1KCJPXtNm— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) August 9, 2024
“We’re competitors and we are fighting for the same thing: There’s only one gold medal. Immediately after the game, it’s all love and respect. We bring out the best in each other, and I’m honoured to play against this team,” said Wilkerson after the match.
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Brazil clinched the gold while Canada bagged the silver medal. Switzerland secured the bronze medal.
Notably, the last time Brazil won gold in the game was back in 1996 at the Atlanta Games. It was also the year when beach volleyball was added to the Olympics.
