Friday, March 29, 2024 -
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The magic is gone

The magic of the Olympics was lost for me in the early ‘90s, when the format changed to biennial from quadrennial. The appearance of the NBA Dream Team at that time also finally put paid to the myth of the amateur athlete. As I started to dig deeper, I learned of the massive costs and waste.

I am a huge sports fan, so it’s not that I downplay the importance of competitive sports among athletes and the passion it inspires in fans. But there are ethical quandaries, such as the commodification of humans and the environ- mental impact of ever-expanding and redundant infrastructure. 

There is also the greed factor. Until this Olympics, there was no better example than FIFA, international soccer’s governing body. The upcoming 2022 competition in Qatar embodies it all: bribery, unsustainability, slave labor — all this done in a country that has no history or culture of soccer, but wants to buy its way onto the world stage.

According to every account I’ve read, the primary reason for the Tokyo Olympics being held is money, specifically the broadcasting rights that line the pockets of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

No fans, limited awards ceremonies, athletes and media locked down, protest from many in Japan deeply concerned about a rise in COVID cases — but for the IOC, in the immortal words of Freddie Mercury, “the show must go on.”

I understand and respect that for athletes the Olympics are a competition like no other. What I don’t understand is why the Olympics are necessary to establish athletes’ rankings for subsequent competitions. It seems that every sport has its own world championship tournament, where players compete and are ranked. Isn’t that enough?

Another reason I’ve always felt disconnected from the Olympics: 1972. Not only did the games go on after five Israeli athletes and six coaches were murdered in cold blood, the IOC refused, competition after competition, to commemorate this tragedy in a significant way. This seemed to be the height of irony for an organization that alleges it celebrates the spirit of brotherhood. Finally, for the first time, this year the IOC held a moment of silence at the opening ceremonies for the murdered athletes.

It’s not enough to win back my support, but I’m heartened to see the IOC, at least on this, do the right thing.

Shana Goldberg may be reached at [email protected] 

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