The 2016 Olympic Games has kicked off in Rio de Janeiro and as each nation walked proudly across the stadium during the opening ceremonies, we are reminded that each athlete of every sport are not only present to represent their country but to fulfill a lifelong goal of gold.  The Olympics undoubtedly have been embedded in the world’s history — both ancient and modern— since the creation of the games. With each Olympic games, in each city and nation that has hosted, there are stories that inspire—some stories so fascinating they were made into movies.  Here are just a few of the many encouraging stories of former Olympians.

Miracle

While we are obviously not celebrating the Winter Olympics this year, there is still no other way to start a list of Olympic movies without first mentioning Miracle.  The 2004 film tells the true story of the 1980 United States Olympic Men’s ice hockey team — a group of young, small-fitted college players — and their journey to the gold medal led by the almost authoritarian coach Herb Brooks.  Nothing makes a better underdog story than one where the bad guys are the Soviet Union.  But in all seriousness, Miracle is not only one of the best Olympic film, it is a truly remarkable sports film that captures the real life reason why the 1980 U.S. ice hockey team has been such inspiration to thousands that play the game.Chariots of Fire

You may not recognize the title of the film, but if someone were to play the iconic instrumental theme behind Vangelis’ soundtrack, you would easily hum along.  It’s not easy to make a film about running as a sport without making it cheesy — just look at McFarland, USA — but what Chariots of Fire exemplifies so finely is that the background story of each runner.  The film dives deeply into the religious background of two runners in the 1924 Olympics—one a Christian inspired by God, the other a Jew inspired to overcome hatred.  The film emphasizes what all the Olympic emphasize, that though you may come from a different political, social, economic background than those to the right and left of you on the starting line, you are all running to achieve the same greatness.

Race

Another film about running, though this taking place a decade and couple year later.  Race earns its clever but not so subtle name due its main character, African American athlete Jesse Owens, who in the 1936 Berlin Olympics won a record-breaking four gold medals.  Though like Chariots of Fire, this film is much more than sport—like all Olympic games are—Race surrounds the viewer with the environment of a full on Nazi-propaganda Olympic games, where African Americans were thought to be biologically inferior to those of the Germans and whites who were also competing.  The film itself is rather cheesy and cliché, but in no doubt is the tale of Jesse Owens not one of the most inspiring Olympic stories to date.

Cool Runnings

Cool Runnings is one of those films that is perhaps a masterpiece in the sense that there is no way one wouldn’t enjoy it—like Good Burger, The Sandlot, or Mighty Ducks.  Cool Runnings tells the story of the first Jamaican national bobsleigh team at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.  When I say ‘true story’, I would take that incredibly lightly, but that is definitely not a bad thing.  This film is arguably the most fun of the movies listed here, containing hilarious and moronic dialogue that only a 90’s sports film could make enjoyable.

Blades of Glory

Alright so this one may not actually be a true story, but there is no way it could be left off a list of Olympic movies.  Will Ferrell and Jon Heder’s ‘Blades of Glory’ demonstrates just how extra and dramatic the Olympics can be sometimes, from costumes to theatrics to the overall attitude of some of the participants in the game.  It is truly hard to conjure up any other iconic fictional Olympic moments that could top Olympic ice skater’s Chazz Michael Michaels and Jimmy MacElroy’s performance of the Iron Lotus.