Ritual humiliation at Olympics
‘IT’S AN EXCUSE TO INDULGE IN NATIONALISTIC EXULTATION’
THE world is divided between the haves and have nots by the availability of Covid vaccines, but even more dramatically by the Olympics.
Every four years we witness a dispiriting occasion – the ritual humiliation of the vast majority of countries. Is there a case for scrapping the Olympics?
More than 11,000 athletes from 206 countries are taking part in the Tokyo Olympics. At the time of writing, the top 10 countries – China, US, Japan, Australia, ROC (Russian Olympic Committee), Great Britain (32 medals, including 10 gold, 10 silver and 12 bronze), France, South Korea, Italy and Netherlands – have hoovered up 331 medals, including 115 gold.
What is absurd is that 123 countries, including Pakistan, have nothing. Bangladesh, with a population of 163 million, is the most populous country never to have won a medal. How come India with a population of 1.4 billion has so far managed to win only one silver (Mirabai Chanu in 49kg weightlifting) and one bronze (PV Sindhu in badminton)?
The usual explanations are given about how years of investment and dedicated training lie behind Olympic success. The bad feature of the Olympics is that they make most of the world feel inferior. To be sure, there isn’t a north-south divide. Jamaica, a Caribbean island with a population of fewer than three million, has produced a succession of superfast athletes, including Usain Bolt.
The real purpose of the Olympics is to allow for nationalistic exultation and a few countries to feel good at the expense of their fellow human beings. In swimming, there is no way that Indian women, who are five feet tall, can compete against long-limbed six footers who have won the race at the very start.
It cannot be said of the Olympics that it is the taking part that is important. The results cannot be fudged. Either you win, or, as is the case with most of the world, you lose. The real purpose of the Olympics is to humiliate a vast majority of the human race. It shouldn’t be scrapped, of course, but what has equestrian dressage got to do with India, Pakistan or Bangladesh?