Olympics shutdown

ON April 6, 1896, nearly 50,000 people packed the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece (plus thousands more on the surrounding hills) to witness the first modern Olympic Games. A total of 311 athletes from 13 countries marched into the stadium to the cheers of the crowd.

For 10 days, the athletes competed in 11 track and field events, as well as weightlifting, shooting, tennis, swimming, cycling, gymnastics, fencing, wrestling and the marathon. It is worth noting that some of the “athletes” were tourists who joined the Games on their own. The British delegation actually included two employees from the British Embassy in Athens. The first competition of the modern Olympic Games was heat one of the 100-meter dash and it was won in 12.5 seconds by American Francis Lane, who thus etched his name in the history books. Another American, James Connolly, became the first gold medallist of the modern Olympics when he topped the hop, step and jump event (now known as the triple jump).

Host nation Greece was represented by 230 athletes, but when the first modern Olympics came to a close on April 15, 1896 it was the United States that topped the medal tally with 11 golds, 7 silvers and 1 bronze. For the record, the winners actually received a silver medal and a crown of olive leaves, runners up were given bronze medals and a crown of laurel and no award was handed out for third place.

Believe it or not, from 1896 to 2016, the Summer Games had been cancelled only three times. The 1916 Olympics were supposed to be staged in Berlin, Germany, but the outbreak of World

War I in 1914 resulted in the cancellation of the Games. The Germans prepared for the Games on the belief that the war would not last that long.

The outbreak of World War II caused the cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Olympics, including the Winter Games. Japan was supposed to host the 1940 Games, but it forfeited its right after it went to war with China. The 1940 Games were rebooked for Helsinki, Finland, but were summarily cancelled after Germany invaded Poland.

The 1944 Games, supposed to be held in London, Great Britain, was also called off because of World War II. When the Olympics returned in 1948 after back-to-back cancellations, 4,099 athletes (385 women) from a then record 59 countries showed up in London. As the world was still reeling from the harrowing effects of World War II, austerity marked the 1948 London Games. The athletes were housed in army camps and colleges and the track and field events were held in an improvised track set up at the Wembley Stadium. Not surprisingly, Germany and Japan were not invited.

The recent postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics marked only the fourth time that the staging of the modern Games was affected by world events. Officially, the 2020 Tokyo Games are being postponed because of the outbreak of the coronavirus (Covid-19). Previously, the global financial crisis and the Gulf war threatened the holding of the Games, but they still pushed through.

It is worth noting that unlike the 1916, 1940 and 1944 Games, the 2020 Tokyo Games are only being postponed, not cancelled. This actually marks the first time the Games are being postponed. The Tokyo Games, originally scheduled to start on July 24, will be held “not later than the summer of 2021” according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Japan had already completed preparations for the Games and initially hesitated on postponing it, but with Canada pulling out and many countries expected to follow suit, a postponement was inevitable. It also did not make any sense to push through with the Games considering that there are still many Olympic qualifying tournaments that have yet to be held. In fact, an estimated 43 percent of the athletes have yet to book Olympic spots.

From a financial standpoint, the postponement of the Games figures to be costly. Japan had invested $10 billion in the Games and leases on venues and contracts with sponsors and employees will have to renegotiated or extended. Initially, there were proposals to continue the Games without the fans, but the calls for postponement escalated after Canada announced its withdrawal and Australia seconded the move. Prominent athletes also started lashing out at the IOC, claiming the body is putting them in danger.

In the end, health and safety prevailed. In the final analysis, athletes are mere mortals and cannot be sacrificed for the crass commercialism that now engulfs the Olympics.