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The Olympics Are a Colossal Waste and a Shameful Distraction
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/rio_olympics_are_a_colossal_waste_and_a_
shameful_distraction_20160811/
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Posted on Aug 11, 2016
By Sonali Kolhatkar
The Olympic torch being carried in front of the Christ the Redeemer statue
on the way to the opening ceremony of the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro on
Aug. 5. (Felipe Dana /
AP(http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/APTOPIX-Rio-Olympics/98bb210281c64
6229cee14ed7928f84d/1/1) )
Everyone loves the Olympics. They allow people all over the world to set
aside their political and religious differences and enjoy a few weeks of
healthy competition between a few thousand people who have spent years
honing their skills.
At least, this is what we tell ourselves.
In fact, not everyone loves the Olympics. Often, the poorest sectors of
society within the host countries experience displacement and other forms of
oppression as authorities work hard to impress visiting athletes and
spectators. In Brazil, the first South American country to serve as the
international showcase, this was certainly true; more than 20,000
families(https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/28/brazil-officials-evic
ting-families-2016-olympic-games) were displaced to make way for
Olympics-related infrastructure. In fact, the state of Rio de Janeiro, where
the games are being held, is in such desperate financial circumstances that
state workers are not being paid and health care centers cannot even afford
to take on the Zika virus crisis. Rio declared bankruptcy ahead of the
games, and the state's governor declared a "state of
calamity(http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/18/482593048/rios-go
vernor-declares-state-of-calamity-ahead-of-olympic-games) ."
But the mayor of Rio de Janeiro was quick to assure the
world(http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-21/berg-moral-bankruptcy-of-the-oly
mpics/7528680) that the economic disaster "in no way delays the delivery of
Olympic projects and the promises assumed by the city of Rio." Apparently,
delivering basic services to the city's residents is a lower priority than
accommodating the Olympics.
In a recent Dallas News opinion column, Andrew
Zimbalist(http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/latest-columns/20160808-andres-o
ppenheimer-hosting-the-olympics-is-an-ego-trip-for-politicians-and-a-bad-dea
l-for-citizens.ece) , an expert on the social and financial cost of hosting
the Olympics, said, "The net outcome of the Rio Games is that they will have
spent $20 billion, they will receive $4.5 billion in revenue, and they will
end up with a $15 billion deficit."
While the fireworks and glittering stadiums overshadow the social and
financial problems of this year's host nation, the facade is crumbling.
Rio's famous
favelas(http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/brazils-olympics-meet-its-fa
velas) are in full view of many venues, and concerns about sewage-infested
waters are so serious that athletes competing in water sports have been
advised(http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/international/ct-olympic-rowing
-dirty-water-20160806-story.html) not to splash in, or accidentally drink,
the virus- and bacteria-ridden water.
Brazil is hardly an exception in the long line of host countries paying far
too dearly for the privilege of hosting the games. The billions spent on
building the required infrastructure rarely translate into direct, long-term
benefits for the citizens of host countries. Instead, ordinary people pay
dearly for the fleeting enjoyment of spectators around the world, while
corporations prosper from building contracts and lucrative sponsorship
agreements(http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2016/08/corporate-sponsorships-of
-olympics-make-political-investments-look-like-a-very-good-deal/) and
governments earn little more than bragging rights. This series of
photos(http://www.businessinsider.com/abandoned-olympic-venues-around-the-wo
rld-photos-rio-2016-8) of abandoned and decaying Olympics venues from host
cities around the world is a disturbing testament to the ugly and often
invisible legacy of the games.
In addition to poverty, displacement and poor public health and
infrastructure, Brazil is in the midst of its worst political crisis in
decades, as widely discredited impeachment proceedings against
democratically elected President Dilma Rousseff play out in the capital,
Brasilia. Interim President Michel Temer has painted a rosy hue on the games
and worked hard to silence political dissent. Security forces have deployed
stun grenades and tear gas on demonstrators. But
protesters(https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/brazilian-prote
sters-censored-at-olympics/2016/08/07/c8dfc014-5cca-11e6-84c1-6d27287896b5_s
tory.html) among the crowds of spectators are speaking out, using the
international spotlight to get their message across. Ahead of the games,
activists launched a creative and concerted effort to extinguish the Olympic
torch(http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/rio-olympics-torch-brazil-160804
183937431.html) as it was carried through Rio's streets in order to express
their opposition to the effort to oust Rousseff. One of the torch-bearers,
an Afro-Brazilian athlete, took a personal risk and exposed the words Fora
Temer (Out with Temer) emblazoned on his behind, as this video
report(https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/videos/774697316005111/?hc_loc
ation=ufi) shows.
As for the notion that the Olympics help us set aside our political and
religious divides for a few weeks, even that is a lie. If anything, the
games become nationalistic rituals that amplify existing divides and are
simply an excuse to drape oneself with a flag and beat one's favorite enemy
nation in the arena of sports. Certainly this is better than actual war-but
rarely, if ever, is it a substitute for war.
On the flip side, the Olympic Games offer yet another platform to display
all the societal ills we struggle with on a daily basis, such as
sexism(http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/08/sexism-olympics-katie-led
ecky-is-amazeballs) and
racism(http://racerelations.about.com/od/hollywood/a/Racial-Controversies-An
d-The-Olympic-Games.htm) . Even the debut of the "refugee
team(https://www.olympic.org/news/refugee-olympic-athletes-deliver-message-o
f-hope-for-displaced-people) " at this year's games may do little to
humanize the toll of wars (but what about Brazil's own internally displaced
refugees that the Olympics have generated?). Pentagon officials who draw up
war plans are hardly going to be moved by the humanity of Yusra
Mardini(https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/06/yusra-mardini-100m-but
terfly-heat-win-refugee-olympic-team-rio-2016) , a Syrian refugee swimmer,
and stop bombing her fellow Syrian
civilians(https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/07/21/an-ai
rstrike-in-syria-killed-entire-families-instead-of-isis-fighters/) . It may
cause some individuals in Western nations to think twice about their bigoted
attitudes toward incoming refugees (or it may amplify existing stereotypes,
such as those elicited by a hijab-wearing Egyptian volleyball
player(http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2016/08/09/beach-volleyball-player-wear
ing-hijab-met-criticism-not-fitting-rio-olympics/) ). But basic and fair
media coverage of the issues refugees face when wars displace them could
achieve the same end without the high price of the Olympics.
But aren't the Olympics a wonderful venue for young, talented athletes who
have spent years honing their skills? As the hilariously prescient,
satirical video-podcast "Ultra Spiritual
Life(http://uncrate.com/video/what-i-love-about-the-olympics/) " noted about
athletes at the Rio Olympics, "I'm grateful that this 15-year-old girl had
parents who were emotionally abusive enough to live through her. Nine hours
of training every day since she was 3 years old equals trauma in her psyche,
stress fractures in her legs, but it equals national pride for me." Stories
about young children in China being trained for the 2012 Olympics revealed a
shocking level of
brutality(http://www.businessinsider.com/a-chinese-olympian-had-no-idea-her-
mother-had-cancer-because-her-parents-feared-it-would-disturb-her-training-2
012-8) meted out for the national pride of winning a gold medal.
Additionally, the financial
burden(http://blogs.marketwatch.com/paydirt/2012/08/07/the-true-cost-of-maki
ng-the-olympics/) of training for the Olympics, particularly in countries
like the U.S., which does not provide subsidies for athletes' families, is
huge and often leads to bankruptcy.
Even heartwarming stories of underdogs winning Olympic medals are not worth
the price of the games. The story of a young Afro-Brazilian girl, Rafaela
Silva, who hails from the famed City of God favela and won a gold
medal(http://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/37024492) , provided just the
"inspiration" fodder that many people, including liberals, like to tout. But
Silva's story plays right into the neoliberal myth of individual success
being possible for anyone who simply works hard enough. What about the
broader community from which Silva emerged? Brazil's favelas are among the
most dangerous places for children to grow up, rife with poverty, drugs and
violence, and Silva's story has no practical, positive bearing on them. In
fact, the Olympics only ensure that the state will spend years paying off
the debt of hosting the games rather than spending the money on the welfare
of its residents.
Are the games really worth the collective and individual sacrifice that so
many communities and legions of people pay? Ultimately, the Olympics, like
most global sporting events (such as World Cup soccer), distract us from the
real work of solving societal ills, divert far too many resources away from
human needs and amplify nationalist fervor and existing divides. All in the
service of athletes vying for medals and millions of spectators who wrap
themselves in flags while cheering them on.
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