ishmael n. daro

With the 2008 Beijing Olympics finally over, it’s time for reflection.

Every time the Games come on, whether we want to or not, Olympic fever takes hold of the world and simply won’t let go. It’s similar to the relationship between a dog and a mailman’s pantleg. There is no escaping the constant coverage on television and the coinciding commentary in print, radio and on the Internet.

The Olympic Games themselves are entertaining to watch as the best athletes of the world perform impressive feats of strength, endurance, flexibility and skill. There are few things more exhilarating than watching someone set the world record for the 100 metre freestyle swim, especially when done in one’s underwear on a bed of chip crumbs and self-loathing.

One wonders why we care about the Olympics at all. The athletes are impressive to be sure but being the world’s best archer sounds like a fairly useless accomplishment. Getting gold for one’s trampoline skills is slightly better, perhaps impressing friends at a summer barbecue every so often. Outside of the Olympics though, when was the last time Canadians took an interest in any of these sports? Not to say that the athletes don’t deserve to compete, but our collective lack of interest shows how little of an impact the sports have.

What makes the Olympics especially unbearable is the constant refrain that the Games are showcasing the best of humanity and somehow encouraging friendship, unity and progress. The slogan for the Beijing Olympics illustrates this platitude succinctly with “One World One Dream.”

The reality is quite different from such fantasy. In preparation for the event, China imposed more censorship and surveillance within its borders than ever before. According to some estimates, up to 1.5 million people were displaced from Beijing in order to even hold the event.

The most famous controversy surrounded the torch relay leading up to the games during which Tibetan activists and sympathizers protested the Chinese occupation of Tibet. As a result of the protests, a wave of nationalism swept China. Foreign stores were boycotted, Chinese blogs flowed with indignation and massive rallies were organized. After all, this was China’s coming out party and meddling foreigners were trying to ruin the whole thing by embarrassing the country.

Incidentally, the torch relay was started in 1936 by Nazi Germany. The Nazis, being the masters of propaganda that they were, toured the Olympic torch around the world to garner publicity in preparation for the Berlin Olympics.

And in the end, isn’t that all the Olympics Games are, a shameless publicity stunt? The host country gets to tout its achievements, the corporate sponsors advertise their charity and goodwill, and the participating countries ostentatiously display their patriotism.

Meanwhile, the news media uses the event to create instant celebrities out of unknown athletes in order to sell papers and increase ratings. Truthfully, how many people knew the name Usain Bolt two months ago? Luckily, a flashy fireworks display closes the Games and everyone goes home happy. If any athletic achievements are involved, it must be purely accidental.

The Beijing Olympic Games ended up costing about $40 billion, the most any country has ever spent. Imagine the good that money could have accomplished elsewhere. How many billions is Canada prepared to spend for some fleeting glory in 2010?