But there is
more to the Olympics than sports. There is the promise of a better future. Let
me share some of the official Olympic Charter:
2. The goal of Olympism is to place sport at
the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to
promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.
4.The
practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility
of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic
spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship,
solidarity and fair play. International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
Wow! That’s
fantastic. Except, the Olympics have never delivered. Let’s think about Sochi
for a moment:
Racism- Irina
Rodnina sent a questionable tweet with an image of President Obama
Politics-
The US didn’t send the President of Vice-President. They sent openly gay
Olympians in protest against President Putin’s anti-gay laws.
Drugs-
Five athletes tested to positive to drugs and were sent home.
Sportsmanship- questions were raised when nearly half of the men’s field did
not finish the race. American Ted Ligety called the course “borderline
unsportsmanlike.”, and thought it was interesting that the designer’s son got a
silver medal.
The Olympics
don’t deliver.
But it gets
worse. After spending 51 billion dollars, you’d expect the country to be in a
better place with facilities that will serve long into the future. History
tells us that this isn’t the case (http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/news/12-forgotten-olympic-venues-fallen-into-disrepair#slide-1).
Olympics are
great as a sport, but not as a Saviour.
