Mohamed Warsameh, an eight-year-old Somali boy, had a dream of watching the grand opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games long before Aug. 8.

However, his dream was shattered seconds after the actual ceremony began: a sudden blackout hit his neighborhood and the boy could do nothing but lament before the TV set.

Nevertheless, the boy was still lucky compared with most of his compatriots who could not even afford the luxury of owning a TV set in the war-torn country.

As the quadrennial Olympics draw global attention to Beijing, China, people around the world are enjoying the games, but each in a different way.

While people in many countries are sitting comfortably in the sofa watching live Olympic programs on large-screen LCD TVs, Africans in many corners of the continent are crowding in front of radios in grass-thatched and iron-roofed huts cheering their compatriots.

While elated spectators from all around the world are enjoying breathtaking races at the Bird's Nest (National Gymnasium) in Beijing, many people in Africa have to follow the latest development of the Games by sharing one copy of a newspaper.

To fulfill its Olympic dreams, Somalia, the Horn of Africa country still mired in a long-running civil war, has managed to send two athletes to Beijing despite financial difficulties.

The two-member Somali delegation holding their national flag high at the opening ceremony of the Olympics seemed too small in scale, but it is the greatest in the eyes of the Somalis, who at the moment saw their conflict-ravaged nation stand on the international stage with other countries side by side.

To fulfill its Olympic dreams, Kenya, still recovering from a post-election violence which saw more than 1,000 people killed and 350,000 displaced early this year, sent a 100-strong delegation, the largest in its history, to the 29th Summer Games.

The two golds, four silvers and two bronzes so far won by Kenyan athletes have thrilled all Kenyans, who once again enjoyed the sweet taste of national pride and coherence, after months of conflicts and disputes.

However, despite the sporadic moments of joy and dreams coming true for Africans during the Olympics, a fact can't be denied that Africa, the continent believed to be the cradle of humanity, still lags far behind the rest of the world in terms of sports.

The African people's great sports potential is largely untapped as a result of both centuries of cruel colonial rule and current problems haunting the continent, such as armed conflicts, poverty and disease.

The Olympics, which was initiated to promote harmony and progress of mankind, should not have the spirit of the Games be visible only on the play field.

As the world is cheering for the Olympics and people celebrating victories of their compatriots, shouldn't we do more, in light of the Olympic spirit, to help those Africans who are still cherishing the Olympic dreams but struggling desperately with poverty or suffering the woes of war?

(Xinhua News Agency August 21, 2008)