THE Olympics are broken. Of that, there can be little doubt. Prior to Beijing 2022, many had suspicions there was a chronic problem within the Olympic movement; these Winter Games have served only to confirm it beyond all dispute.
I love the Olympics. From watching them for the first time in 1992, to competing in them in 2012, I have spent much of my life living and breathing the Olympic dream.
There was nothing I didn’t adore about them. Or so I thought.
The Games have long been a far from perfect entity but in recent years, something has happened – and not for the better.
Whereas some sports thrive on being flashy or glamorous, the Olympics survive on being an embodiment of their principles.
But the Olympic spirit is slowly being eroded, something that has been plain to see at Beijing 2022.
The issue became apparent well before the sport even began this month, with the awarding of the Games to China.
For a country that has committed such blatant human rights abuses to be granted the privilege of hosting the Olympics is objectionable, to say the least.
And as the Opening Ceremony of Beijing 2022 drew closer, it became apparent just how problematic this decision to give China these Games was.
Athletes were warned against staging any kind of protest, for fear of the consequences.
Travelling teams were also advised to leave their mobile phones at home due to concerns about security.
And when the sport began, the issues persisted.
At the Opening Ceremony, an Uyghur athlete lit the flame in what can only be assumed to be the host country trying to send a message that she is happy. This, despite the fact there have been countless reports about the Uyghur population being persecuted in China.
The backlash to that decision, and the obvious attempt by the host nation to use the Opening Ceremony to send a message despite the protestations the Games should be apolitical, was severe.
Similarly, Russian president Vladimir Putin and China’s president Xi Jinping posed for photos together before the Opening Ceremony.
It seems very much like the rules only apply sometimes, and to some people.
And then there is the doping.
The tale of 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has dominated the Games, with our last glimpse of the teenager being of her walking off the ice in tears only to be berated by her coach for not fighting hard enough.
It was an uncomfortable watch and showed one of the very ugliest sides of the Olympics.
The good news is the Games are salvageable, and that’s because people still care. The moment people stop caring is the time it becomes critical but, for now at least, there is still a love for the Olympics that is unmatched by anything else in the sporting world.
There is no doubt the Games still provide some of the most inspiring moments in sport.
There are few who aren’t touched by the stories of the athletes in the refugee teams that have competed at both the 2016 and 2020 Games.
There are few who aren’t inspired by individuals such as American skier Max Parrott who, only a few years ago, was in a hospital bed suffering from cancer but then went on to win freestyle skiing gold two weeks ago.
And there are few who aren’t inspired by the stories of perseverance and commitment shown by athletes who have dedicated themselves to pursuing their Olympic dream.
So while that appreciation and reverence of the movement endures, there is still a path back.
For that to happen, though, there must be a dismantling of the Olympic infrastructure, rebuilding it from the bottom up.
There must be a separation from those at the top of the Olympics and politics. For a movement that continues to insist that sport and politics should not mix, there is often a merging when it suits.
Anti-doping needs to be sorted out to ensure every Olympics is not dominated by a doping scandal, overshadowing all else; from the Russian doping saga in 2014 to the emerging truth that London 2012 was not, as had been claimed, the cleanest Games ever but rather, the dirtiest, to the Valieva scandal that has cast a dark cloud over Beijing 2022, there is a perception that elite sport is rife with dopers.
And the mistreatment of athletes in pursuit of silverware must end.
In almost every country across the globe, Britain included, stories have emerged in recent years of athletes being bullied or worse, with the reasoning all too often being that elite sport is a tough environment and athletes cannot be handled with kid-gloves if they want to reach the pinnacle.
Olympic success cannot be used as a justification for abusing athletes.
These problems are sizeable, but they are not insurmountable.
That so many people love the Olympic Games, be it those dreaming of one day becoming an Olympian to the wider public becoming obsessed with the action for two weeks biennially, proves there is hope.
This opportunity cannot be missed because if it is, and the Olympic movement is allowed to die, it will be the ultimate travesty of the sporting world.
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