I am reading a book by an English journalist, who like me had had enough of the weather, bad service and general dowdiness of British life that he upped sticks and moved. His name is Tim Parks and he is a well read authority on a number of subjects, educated at Cambridge and Harvard. He has written eleven novels and three non-fiction accounts of life in northern Italy , a collection of 'narrative' essays, Adultery and Other Diversions, and a history of the Medici bank in 15th century Florence, Medici Money. Tim has also translated numerous Italian titles into English and written thesis on translation styles. In this book ‘A Season with Verona’ where he follows Hellas Verona through their league campaign there is a very descriptive piece about Verona fans annoyance at the season started late to accommodate that summer’s Olympic Games. Screaming 'Cuzzi di Olimpiadi' which I can't translate in case there are any children reading. Tim Parks comments that the Olympics have lost their original ideals. Although the adage of citius, altius, fortius, a Latin expression meaning "Faster, Higher, Stronger" still looms large, it appears that money has taken over with athletes resorting to the aforementioned human growth hormones, anabolic steroids and the like. I can clearly remember Ben Johnson’s incredible 100 metres win in 1988 and, at the age of 11, I also the live TV announcement of his subsequent failed drugs test. The most important thing about the original Olympiads was not to win, but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well. de Coubertin’s ideal is noble, but in modern society it seems quaint and old fashioned. Everything about modern life is built around success, just turn on MTV. Big cars, gold chains, money.
I realise that there is still a place for the Olympics, but only where the sport has the Olympics as the highest level of the sport. Track and field athletics for instance, has the Olympics as the greatest event in the sport. However, soccer has the World Cup as its pinnacle. Field hockey has a World Cup and a Champions Trophy, but the main event in the international calendar is the Olympics. The IOC need a cull of sports and get rid of novelty exhibition sports like beach volleyball and throw out applications from chess and bridge, which are pastimes, not sports. The Olympic torch relay was a farce this year with all the Tibetan protestors. Whether or not awarding the games to Beijing was morally correct (it wasn’t in my view, but the IOC adjudicators have been bribed and caught out in the past) the games should not be hijacked for political means be it Palestinians, pro-Tibet protestors, Soviets or Black Panthers. It should be sport for competition sake and it should be about winning. Running faster. Jumping higher. Being stronger than your opponent. Usan Bolt’s world record is one of the most memorable sporting events I have witnessed. I still wonder how fast he could run if he had not celebrated as he crossed the line. Australia ’s Steve Booker, recognisable for his ginger mop and green and gold headband broke the world pole vault record and became a national sporting icon. This is what the Olympics should be about, not African swimmers who struggle to complete the distance or British ski jumpers who can barely stand up. How is humankind going to aspire to some idiot who is getting promotion because he is the funniest looking? I don’t want to see children killing each other and cheating their way through sport to progress, but I don’t want them not trying, because they think it’s enough to take part. Survival of the fittest.
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