The Olympics and Its Forgotten Mission

Unlike most men, I do not have a lifetime subscription to a sports channel or multiple sports channels. I love the idea of watching any sport at the highest level. For example, I enjoy the thrill of ICC’s T20 World Cup and the exhilarating CPL T20 cricket, the magical FIFA World Cup soccer and the record-breaking prospects of the athletes at the Olympics every four years. The international events' schedules keep me from getting bored and help me avoid unhealthy addictions and obsessions.

The 2024 Paris Summer Games brought back many great memories, especially that of the competition between the Jamaicans and the Americans in athletics and the new event of skating. With over 10,000 participants evenly split along gender lines from 206 countries, I can’t help but envy the project managers for planning and executing such events. The absence of Russia from the Games led me to wonder why politics continue to taint every aspect of our, otherwise, peaceful lives. When Baron Pierre de Coubertin revived the new Olympics in 1896, one of his major considerations was that the games would foster understanding and peace between competing nations of the world. That was the vision. The Olympic motto of “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together” serves as motivation to the athletes and a theme of hope for the spectators. What else could sporting enthusiasts need?

Approximately 2,800 years ago, the Olympic Truce was established in Greece during the ancient Olympic Games. The purpose of the Truce was to ensure that the safety of the host city and the participating athletes as well as to guarantee the security of spectators was assured during that period as they travelled to the Games and back to their homes. In a more modern context, the U.N. has adopted a resolution entitled “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal” which is reaffirmed before each edition of the Game. This has occurred since 1992. It’s a flimsy ideal adhered to by small peaceful countries but ignored by the warring super powers. As the Bible states, "There’s nothing new under the sun."

The ongoing debate about whether sports and politics should mix may never have a definitive answer as long as people can hold multiple opinions about the same subject. However, the Games have often been utilized as a platform for protesting injustices, making political statements, and showcasing a nation's abilities on an international stage. Baron Pierre de Coubertin may be turning in his grave as he witnesses how the Games’ objectives have been repurposed and highjacked.

During the XIX Olympiad in Mexico City, on the night of 2 October 1968, 10,000 people, mainly university students, gathered at the Square of the Three Cultures to protest against the Mexican government's focus on spending for the Olympics while neglecting social issues such as poverty, inequality, and lack of political freedoms. The Mexican army surrounded the protestors and opened fire resulting in more than 250 people being killed and injuring thousands. The Truce was of no help. Despite the unrest, the Games proceeded as planned. During a medal ceremony, the American sprinters Tommie Smith (gold medalist) and John Carlos (bronze medalist) raised their fists in a Black Power salute on the podium. They were protesting racial discrimination and human rights abuses against African-Americans in the United States. Both athletes were subsequently expelled from the Games and faced significant backlash at home. The protests at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics were a convergence of several issues: racial injustice in the U.S., the struggle for political freedom and democracy in Mexico, and the broader global conflicts.

The most tragic breach of the Truce was in 1972 at the Munich, Germany Games. On 5 September 1972, the Games were disrupted when eight Arab terrorists, representing the militant Black September group, entered the Olympic Village and took hostage 11 members of the Israel Olympic team. In the end, the hostages and terrorists were killed. The Munich Massacre remains one of the darkest chapters in Olympic history, highlighting the intersection of sports and global political conflicts.

During the 1980s, boycotting the Games was a common tactic used by superpowers This led to clear indications of political division, particularly between the West and East. The United States of America along with many its allies boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics in response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979. In response to the boycott, the Soviet Union and its allies boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, further politicizing the Olympic movement. The Soviet-led boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was primarily a retaliatory move against the 1980 U.S. boycott of the Moscow Games. It was officially justified by security concerns and accusations of anti-Soviet sentiment, but the underlying reasons were deeply rooted in Cold War politics and of superpower rivalry. The boycotts of South Africa, South Korea, and Russia also sparked debates. Questions were raised about the double standards in banning or not banning certain countries like South Africa, Israel, Russia, and the USA. These controversies continue to be discussed ad nauseum, and the arguments persist to this day.

I recall the days of Florence Griffith-Joyner in her iconic one-legged track suit, breaking records and adding a touch of fashion to the Olympics. It was a breath of fresh air to see an attempt to bring modesty to the grand event. She even encouraged her school teammates to wear leggings underneath their shorts, demonstrating that records could be set without revealing the bare minimum. Modesty seemed to be lacking among female athletes in sports like volleyball, gymnastics, athletics, and the long jump. In the ancient Olympics, dating back to 776BC, all male athletes competed completely naked, a stark contrast to today's standards. I have observed that modern athletes may seek to return to a similar approach. It's disheartening to witness female athletes constantly adjusting their shorts as they pluck fabric from their derrière, discretely (if that’s possible)?

I don't want to sound disrespectful towards women, but it seems that the style of clothing worn by athletes hasn't significantly improved their performance. The world record for the 100m dash has only been reduced by 1.42 seconds since 1900, which is 124 years ago. It seems that wearing skimpier shorts and tight-fitting clothing hasn't really helped to improve performance. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the chivalrous man that he was, once expressed concern that “the spectators who flock to such competitions are not there to watch a sport” as he considered the lecherous nature of men. Let’s cast our minds to the time when the talent and skills of the athlete were the most important factors. Oh, the good old days!