Athletes can save Games Emma Keeling: The Olympics’ hope
The slow scrape of spikes on grit. Javelins rattle, eager for action. Somewhere close by, someone with large biceps toys with a discus in a not-so-sporting manner. 2019, the year of the athlete! Be afraid, Olympic officials.
As a fan, the Olympics are all a bit fabulous. The officials have long inhaled our happy gas, hurdling the endless stories about corruption, mismanagement and incompetence. Despite endless Olympic budgets blowing out by billions, cities and their politicians and construction companies have clamoured to host this over-sized party. But more and more, citizens do not want the hangover.
IOC president Thomas Bach does not seem weighed down by this. In his New Year message he spoke of the Winter Games in PyeongChang, 2018, which were ‘‘a success story in so many respects’’ including financially. Give that man a calculator! It went at least NZ$5.9b over original estimates, but I guess it was still around $45b cheaper than Sochi.
These figures are spooking possible host cities. Take Exhibit A: the 2026 Winter Games. They will be awarded in June to what could be the last city standing. Calgary pulled out, with residents voting in a public plebiscite against the $10b plan. Stockholm didn’t agree with the IOC’s demand that local government fill all funding holes and the Italian bid could falter for the same reason.
Bach’s 2019 message glossed over these minor details saying ‘‘the future of the Games is secured’’. But the facts are Olympic bids plummeted from 12 bids in 2004 to five for 2020, won by Beijing because it’s citizens will do as they’re told. In summer 2024 and 2028, Paris and Los Angeles are locked and loaded, but that’s because the IOC felt bad leaving out one of only two bidders for 2024, so in the spirit of fairness and desperation, gave them a Games each.
With just under two years to go, Tokyo is winning on preparedness, but muffing it on money by having to plan for heat waves, typhoons and heavy rain. Not to worry, just follow the lead of all past organisers holding back the taxpayer hordes by stating that the operating costs will be covered by the IOC, then you can blame blowouts on the infrastructure, which obviously have nothing to do with the Olympics.
But the IOC figured out something had to change, and is reining in costs. It no longer demands shiny new facilities, instead encouraging the use of existing stadiums.
So how on earth can the athletes make any positive impact? 2019 is the year the IOC will ‘‘strengthen the role of the athletes in the Olympic movement’’. Bach said so. He also said the biggest-ever Athletes’ Forum will be held in April. British fencer Laurence Halsted worries about ‘‘the Olympics’ continued decline into just another destructive facet of celebration capitalism’’. He’s not too concerned with being silenced, but acknowledges he might feel differently if he was more controversial.
This year, athletes have already had to step in, again, to talk some sense into the World AntiDoping Agency over the Russia drug-cheating debacle. Wada’s Athlete Committee has called for the re-issue of Russia’s ban after the country once again sailed past the deadline to allow access to the infamous Moscow lab. Someone please distract Olympic officials with the colours on the pretty flag while the athletes get down to business.
The [IOC] officials have long inhaled our happy gas...