As I get older, I get less excited about the Olympics. It has become such a huge money pit! Japan allegedly forked up 30 billion dollars to host the event with all sorts of sustainable-designed sports facilities that are supposed to be green for the city. So, it must have been quite a jolt to delay the event for a year and still be met with all this anxiety among countrymen and the world alike. Yet, so far, the games have gone off with few reported coronavirus cases, and none that have affected the top athletes.
The US basketball team seems to be suffering from jet lag though, enduring yet another loss to a much lesser team. This time France. Earlier, they lost exhibition games to Nigeria and Australia. Everyone is waiting for All-World Kevin Durant to show up. He has no excuses. Brooklyn was bounced out of the NBA playoffs pretty early. Not that it really matters as basketball shouldn't even be in the Olympics, or for that matter any team sport.
I give this speech every four years, but the Olympics should celebrate individual athletes, not countries. No one should be competing under a national flag. The only country not to do so is Russia, and that's only because a flimsy ban is still in place for operating a statewide doping scheme at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. Even still, they are allowed to participate as the Russian Olympic Committee, with three little flames that represent their colors.
Some athletes refuse to compete against other athletes because of the countries they represent. An Algerian athlete refused to compete against an Israeli athlete in judo, citing the ongoing tension over Palestine. He was promptly suspended by the International Judo Federation, citing its non-discrimination policy, but if athletes weren't competing for countries this problem would potentially resolve itself. No?
If it wasn't for all this bullshit, athletes would be able to team up on their own accord for doubles events or even three-on-three basketball. Instead, one or the other athlete has to petition a country for citizenship and hope that it is granted before the Games. This is the case with an American figure skater who wants to pair up with a Lithuanian figure skater for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. So far, the President has been hesitant to do so because the last time the country did this, the American woman skater dumped her Lithuanian partner and competed for Israel. Her Lithuanian citizenship was subsequently forfeited.
Given how competitive the Olympics have become, I'm surprised more countries don't bid for stellar athletes in the same way professional sports teams draft top prospects. The Arab countries would certainly gain from this as they have historically done very poorly in the Olympic games. Qatar has solicited Kenyan long-distance runners to compete for their country under new Arab names, which you will find if you read down this Atlantic article on athletes adopting new countries for a shot at the Olympics. In most cases, these athletes were unable to qualify for their home countries, so adopting a new country helped fulfill a long deferred dream. Russia took it a step further in the Sochi Games by going after top athletes in snowboarding events, adding to its medal count.
It's not just the fact these games cost so much to put on, but countries now spend vast sums of money to be competitive in the Olympics. Great Britain has been spending boodles of pounds on its Olympic program. It no longer wants to be a patsy at the Games and it seems like that huge investment is paying off. They are winning medals all over the place now, and feel like one of the big boys. Japan has similarly invested heavily in its athletic program so that it wouldn't be embarrassed at its Games. So far, they have collected 11 gold medals, more than China and the US. Unfortunately, Naomi Osaka didn't live up to her top billing.
No wonder Japanese are ticked off. Their country has put the Olympics above everything else. Japan has only managed to vaccinate about 30% of its population despite being one of the richest countries in the world. China has done better than that, while still investing heavily in its Olympic program. Misplaced priorities is what leads to an unhappy citizenry, which no doubt will express their anger at the next elections.
While professional sports have been effectively able to operate within bubbles of sorts, pulling off such a gargantuan event with athletes competing from all over the world is a much bigger matter. Many of these athletes may make it through the Games without contracting coronavirus only to find they carry it home with them, as Japan is currently swamped with COVID cases.
All this makes you wonder if it is worth it? Granted, I enjoy watching games I otherwise would have little interest in, like gymnastics. But, even that enjoyment has been sullied by the politization of Simone Biles, who dropped out of the team competition for mental health reasons, only to come under fire from conservative pundits who proclaimed she let down her country. Actually she did it for her country, as she felt she would only drag her teammates down if she participated.
I also got a kick out of the German women gymnasts opting for full length unitards in a fashion statement against the overt sexualization of women. Not sure if it worked, as they looked just as sexy in their unitards as the other women did in their leotards. Sex sells whether you like it or not. Women track and field runners have opted for bikini bottoms as it apparently gives them more flexibility, but they end up with cameras peering at their asses throughout the events. I suppose this is one reason women swimmers opted for unitards as well, although they say these one-piece suits create less friction in the water. Women divers still go for the traditional one-piece swimsuit, although increasingly more high cut at the hips, as judges apparently like to look at their legs. Men don't have this problem. They can wear shorts and tank tops in pro beach volleyball, while women are literally required to wear bikinis. The only exception is based on religion.
Then there is the corporate sponsorship that has now dominated the Games. Japan wants to recoup some of its massive investment, so corporate banners have displace national flags. Toyota however didn't want the bad publicity and has decided to pull its ads, but you still see its little toys on full display at the Olympic village. You can't have it both ways.
Given that every one of these sports operates on its own terms and hosts world championship events each year, why do they need the Olympics? I suppose in large part it gives them exposure they wouldn't otherwise get. Beach volleyball gained a huge following largely thanks to the Olympics, making for ever bigger prize money at its own events. Other sports still operate under the radar with some rather odd looking athletes, but then all you really need is a good eye and a steady hand for archery. Everything else is secondary, although Robert Elder has since trimmed down his weight to look more Olympian.
It is what it is. Yes, the Olympic Games have grown out of all proportion and no longer is an amateur event. Yet, The Games still represent a dream no matter how commercialized it becomes. I always wanted to compete in the Olympics. Maybe they will make pea shooting an Olympic event in 2024, or any one of these other weird sports. They can always combine pea shooting with a 5 km. run and call it the Peathlon.
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