Olympics doesn’t have the same ring to it nowadays
THE Games of the XXXI Olympiad (the 31st, for the non-Romans among you) are a little over one week away, but I’m not 100% sure if I’m excited about it or not.
Ever since the decision was announced seven years ago, Rio 2016 has always had an exotic ring to it. The famous Maracana Stadium, which once housed a record attendance of almost 200,000, will host the Opening Ceremony and with the usual Brazilian carnival atmosphere it should be the beginning of a magnificent occasion.
However I’m not quite certain where the Olympic Games currently sit with me. Russia’s state-sponsored doping programme has hung like a dark cloud over the Rio Olympics since it was exposed late last year. The scandal has completely overshadowed the customary build-up and excitement to the games and last weekend’s fudged decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow Russia’s ‘clean athletes’ to compete has done little to increase the public’s confidence.
Come Friday week I will definitely be tuning in - but with lots of doubts and reservations.
Looking back through the rose-tinted glasses of childhood, I remember the Montreal Olympics of 1976 and the delirium that gripped the country following Eamonn Coghlan’s victories in the heats and semi-finals.
We were in Tramore on holidays at the time and watched the final in a packed hotel bar. At the time, for this eight-year-old anyway, Coghlan’s fourth-place finish felt like the end of the world.
There were lots of other memories also. Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci and her perfect 10; powerful Cuban Alberto Juantorena with the massive stride who won gold in the 400m and 800m; Ed Moses setting a world record in the hurdles; Sugar Ray Leonard and the Spinks brothers (Leon & Michael) winning boxing golds.
Maybe it was the innocence and naivety of youth, but those games left a lasting impression on me and a lot of my contemporaries.
Along with football, athletics and boxing were my sports growing up and I was fascinated for many years afterwards with Juantorena’s 10ft stride (I never could quite match it). The year 1976 was the pinnacle for me as regards the Olympics. It’s been mostly downhill and disappointments ever since.
I don’t have any real fond memories of 1980 in Moscow, except for Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe. All I can remember really was the US boycott following the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan and great rivals Ovett and Coe in the 800m and 1500m. The rest is just a bit of a blur.
The record books say we won silver in the sailing, but I can only remember Hughie Russell’s bronze in the boxing.
1984 in Los Angeles was a glitzy Hollywood-type affair best remembered for Carl Lewis emanating Jessie Owens’ 1936 haul of four gold medals, and of course my favourite sportsman of all time, Daley Thompson, on the winners’ podium whistling the national anthem to the disdain of the BBC commentators.
And what kid wasn’t impressed €20 on Scott Piercy (10/1) to finish in the top 10 at the USPGA by the guy with the rocket jet pack in the Opening Ceremony. Wow! Teenagers were very easy to impress 30-odd years ago. I also remember feeling great pride watching John Treacy accepting marathon silver and the tricolour being raised.
Seoul 1988 will be remembered forever for Ben Johnson’s positive drugs test. It was the beginning of the end, in my opinion, for the credibility of athletics events. From then until now, every feat of sporting excellence I witness on the track is always tempered with a dubious question mark.
1992 in Barcelona was our boxers’ moment of glory and I’m still fascinated by how Michael Carruth beat that long, lanky Cuban in the final.
Ireland will always remember Atlanta 1996 for the Michelle Smith controversy, but don’t forget Michael Johnson’s imperious 200m and 400m double.
I’m ashamed to admit it, but I had to google Sydney 2000 to be reminded Sonia won silver in the 5,000m.
I’ve no real standout memories of the 2004 games in Athens and Beijing 2008 and London 2012 were notable for Usain Bolt and our continued boxing success.
As you can see from the above, my scepticism has increased considerably with the passing years. International sport is now big business, driven by the pressures to be the fastest or biggest in the field. As the stakes increase ever further, so too will the incidences and allegations of doping.
The nature of the game is that cheats and their accomplices are willing to take the risks because the potential rewards are so great.
The authorities will continue to try to catch them, but they are invariably one step behind. This week’s cop out by the IOC hasn’t helped. With just one outstanding group game remaining (Kilkerley v St Pat’s), all the other quarter-finalists are now known in the three local championship competitions.
There have been very few surprises so far and I’m still sticking with my original predictions.
Sean O’Mahony’s, however, have impressed in both their outings to date and they are set up for a tilt with my pick Dreadnots in the semi-finals, providing they both come through their last-eight encounters.
Mattock and St Bride’s are motoring nicely in intermediate, but Glen Emmets’ failure in the group stages means they cross paths with Roche much earlier than they would have wished for. Dundalk’s excellent result in Iceland has added a considerable amount to the Oriel Park coffers and takes them to Belarus for the second consecutive season.
This Tuesday night’s clash with Bate Borisov is a hugely important fixture for Stephen Kenny’s side and they will be hoping for a similar performance to last year. To underline the difficulty of the task ahead, Bate progressed to the Champions League group stages last season where they earned five points in a group that contained Barcelona, Roma and Bayer Leverkusen. This week’s bet is €20 on Scott Piercy to finish in the top 10 at this week’s USPGA in New Jersey at odds of 10/1.