A “truly exceptional Games” ?
Last night a typically glum looking Jacque Rogge, with one foot already out the stadium door, gave Beijing a subtle reminder that there’s more to the Olympics than great stadiums and gold medals. It was quite a moment: the IOC president discovering that he does, after all, have the testicular fortitude to be something other than a complete Beijing sycophant.
For the last eight years China’s obsession with superlatives has been building momentum and influence towards gaining the coveted accolade of “the best Games ever”. I’m on record in my earlier Olympic predictions post as saying that I felt sure the IOC - and Rogge in particular - would cave in on this point. Ultimately his conscience wouldn’t allow it following too many broken promises and controversies before and during the big show. Good for him. I feel he could have gone further, though…
“These were truly exceptional Games (this is actually where Rogge choked, so I’ll finish) … exceptional hype and propaganda; exceptionally ill-conceived global torch relay; exceptionally nationalistic; exceptional media restrictions; exceptionally limited access to journalists; exceptionally high numbers of people dispossessed of their homes; exceptional harrassment and incarceration levels for anyone with a dissenting voice; exceptionally blatant circumventing of the rules in order to field underage gymnasts; exceptional levels of lies and disregard for joe public in the distribution of Olympic tickets; and exceptional levels of bureaucracy that kept the number of foreign visitors well below expectations and seats empty in the stadia.” - JR in a more honest life.
Beijing did, on a positive note, produce exceptional venues for the Games and significant improvements to the city’s infrastructure. These things came at an exceptionally high cost, in both human and financial terms, neither of which cause leaders obsessed with appearances any lost sleep.
London will be exceptionally different. It would be folly to try and match the cosmetic grandeur born of Beijing’s desire to be taken seriously, not to mention their very deep pockets. 2012 needs to address the more humanistic areas where Beijing fell short. Notably; human rights, journalistic freedom, internet access, freedom to travel within the host country, freedom of expression, fair play, and sportsmanship. In short, London must attempt to bring the reality of one world; one dream to sports’ greatest stage, and not use an empty slogan that serves only as reminder of what the Games should have been all about.
Based on Sunday night’s handover, the early signs for London are a bit worrying…
…God help us!
Updated to bring you another BJ moment:
“Ping-pong was invented on the dining tables of England in the 19th century and it was called whiff-whaff.
“The French might look at a dining table and see an opportunity to eat. We looked at it and saw the opportunity to play whiff-whaff. And I say to the Chinese, and I say to the world, ping-pong is coming home.”
The man’s a star. You tell ‘em, Boris.