Ed Said: Sceptical about the spectacle

Despite all the ructions, protests and Covid outbreaks, the Tokyo Olympics (version 2020) has actually turned out to be (pun intended) a breath of fresh air. What’s more, it’s taken our attention – albeit briefly – away from the chaos in the world, chaos that has dominated headlines for the last 18 months and is, quite frankly, either boring as hell or just depressing.

There were doubts the games would even go ahead as new strains emerged and Covid surged around the world. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) came under severe pressure to cancel the games for a second time as the start of the competition loomed, but was defiant – the show will go on they said. I have to admit I felt the IOC were being irresponsible at the time, insensitive about the worsening Covid troubles in Japan, and in crowded athlete villages it could likely cause havoc.

Eventually to appease detractors, and the Japanese government, spectators were banned, in what was possibly the only opportunity to get competition started. But where is the fun in that? So much energy, enthusiasm and atmosphere is generated by a crowd or audience. Just picture the hush as a full 68,000 capacity Japan National Stadium goes silent while runners take their mark, then the deafening roar after the crack of the starters gun.

A follower of all sports, I was sceptical about the sort of spectacle the Olympic Games would be as it played out to empty stadia and deserted streets, and my interest level was low. But to my surprise the sporting theatre that is the Olympics didn’t seem to lose any of its lustre. Somehow, strangely, the absence of a crowd has seen the athletes have more focus on themselves, their event, and their competitors, without the distraction of crowds and supporters. There has been no lack of concentration or focus, records have tumbled in all sports, athletes are running faster, jumping higher, and throwing further than ever before – these have been the games of the Personal Best. It’s not often we see the world’s best, at their best, in such a sporting cauldron, and that makes for compulsive viewing.

Along with that, the commentators have been superb, creating emotion, building tension, and providing the knowledge around each event to maintain interest – the kind of interest that has you watching deep into the night.

It can be difficult to take sport at its highest level seriously as it becomes increasingly politicised, financially complicated, and infiltrated by performance enhancing drugs. The credibility of many sporting codes has suffered under the dark cloud of doping – athletics, cycling, weightlifting, boxing, swimming. Russia’s massive state-sanctioned doping scheme, uncovered after operating for decades, saw them banned from the Tokyo Olympics. More of that needs to happen. As governing bodies chase the increasingly-clever sports pharmacists, how do we know that what we are watching is good clean competition? We don’t, but I would like to think this is the ‘cleanest’ games ever.

The vibe around the Tokyo games also just feels ‘right’, like they weren’t just going through the motions for commercial reasons, but that the whole process was a cathartic one for the athletes and the millions watching from around the world who had suffered enough through lockdowns and next to no competition for months on end.

Many of you won’t know the three core values of Olympism: Excellence, Respect, and Friendship. But they have all been on show over the 17 days of this competition, and that’s important, in sport and in life. We can also be inspired by our Kiwi athletes who we all admire for one reason or another: The tenacity and persistence of Emma Twigg, the longevity and success of Valerie Adams, the Hamish Bond effect on the rowing eight, the teamwork of our winning 7s women, and the sheer brilliance of Lisa Carrington, touted as our GOAT Olympian. Equally important is to appreciate those that tried and failed – but they still tried.

Yep, I’m glad the Olympics went ahead. We all needed it. And if you’re looking for some great viewing, and maybe a little more inspiration, tune in to the hours and hours of post-games replays.

Rich Pooley
Editor
info@mangawhaifocus.co.nz