The first weekend in July was supposed to be fence staining days at our house, but the extreme heat put an end to those plans. Instead, we dove into a storage area and sorted through tubs of belongings. I know how to have a good time on a long weekend, don’t I?
As we worked our way through family mementos, keepsakes and seasonal decorations (it’s a lot easier to get rid of Christmas décor in the scorching July heat than when waves of nostalgia take over in December), I came across items from my university days, including a stack of term papers I had kept.
I smiled at, but was not surprised by, the fact that I took two papers from different courses and turned them into opportunities to write about the Olympics. My fourth year of university took place during an Olympic year and I managed to find ways to justify copious amounts of viewing by calling it research.
One was for a physical education class and was about the social construct of physical competition while the other was for sociology and looked at the media construction of the Games. Ahh, good times.
As a 10-year-old, I vividly recall watching the luge competition with my dad during the Winter Games. From then on, I was hooked. I have been known to rearrange my schedule (well let’s be honest, my life) to incorporate watching as many events as possible each time the Olympics roll around.
So it is with rather mixed feelings that we had the opening ceremonies for an Olympics that is happening one year later than scheduled, and shouldn’t be happening at all according to some.
But it isn't just during a pandemic that the very existence of the Games is debated. It is argued the Olympics increase tourism and give a boost to local economies. England welcomed more than a visitor every second in the year following their hosting duties while the Rio de Janeiro Games saw Brazil set a tourism record. The Olympics result in improved infrastructure, new and improved venues, and often an increased sense of national pride.
On the flipside, the Olympics always run over budget and are a drain on resources. People are displaced to make way for venues and housing. And sadly, the infrastructure and new construction often fall into disuse and cities are left with expensive unused facilities.
It's unfortunate, but just like in any enterprise, the Olympics can bring out the worst in people. Committees can take bribes. Corporations can exploit. Athletes can cheat. Schemers can make money selling fake tickets and merchandise. On and on and on.
The Olympics will be people at their best. Skier Hermann Maier experiences a horrific crash in the downhill yet gets back on the slopes to win two gold medals just days later. Eric Moussambani gets to the Olympics through a wildcard program for athletes from developing countries. The swimmer from Equitorial Guinea had never seen let alone swam in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. He finished in last place in a qualifier, far behind every other competitor, but his perseverance is loudly cheered from first to last stroke. Canadian sailor Lawrence Lemieux is in a position to win a silver medal when he abandons his race to go help two capsized rowers from another country who hit choppy waters.
A runner who finds out his competitor had a faulting starting block asks that the race be re-run. A cross country ski coach hands a pole to a competitor from another nation when hers broke on the course. A long jumper demonstrates a new technique to an athlete who went on to best his distance. And on it goes. Story after story of dedication, character, heart and sometimes, selflessness.
So I put on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic t-shirt my sister gave me for Christmas in 2019 and I will watch the athletes doing what they have prepared for because of, and in spite of, the empty stands, the caution on the part of the host country, and the questions surrounding it all. It's simply a desire to witness those who have trained for years strive to fulfill the Olympic motto. Faster, Higher, Stronger. That's my outlook.
