I started following the Olympics in 1960 at age 12. At that time news clips were flown to North America from Rome and we could read details in our newspaper the next day. Things have changed since then and not all necessarily good.
This year my first awareness before the official opening was a report that the Canadian women's soccer staff spied on the opposition team from New Zealand, not something for Canadians to be proud of. For awhile us Canadians rallied behind the women realizing the drone decision was above their awareness of the players. They were handed a very stiff penalty that required them to win all their remaining group games without a tie. They won some tense games, and did qualify for the knockout phase where they lost.
The Opening Ceremony was unique and reflected French culture. Boat rides on the Seine. Lady Gaga in singing in French with lots of other entertainment along the riverbank. French historical characters were displayed. Women leaders were hi-lighted with statues to help balance the preponderance of male statues. Hot air balloon was the location for the Olympic flame. Celine Dion with a well known vocal concern sang an Edith Piaf classic "Hymne a l'amour" with rain coming down on her and a pianist from the Eiffel Tower that also provided a light show.
The Olympics at one time was for amateurs only that might make it seem more pure, but in effect it was-gentleman's club. Those who had the money and social backing got to compete. Jim Thorpe, an amateurs lost his medals after previous payments uncovered. Nowadays hypocrisy has been set aside and replaced by professionals that are more entertaining.
Olympic status has increased popularity, but to me increases the circus aspect. .Admittedly I enjoy some of the additions such as synchronized diving. Judgement to me make some events more of an artistic endeavor. it must be aggravating to have rehearsed thousands of times and be judged by a second or so on stage
Men's basketball was my main interest. The Canadian team did good for awhile. Their first game was against.Greece with Giannis Antetokounmpo (he will be referred to in future blog) provided a tough opposition. They didn't get far but were competitive. I was very pleased with local hero Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Canadian men lost fo France with Victor Wembayama .
Women's basketball, was another disappointment. Made it to the the knockout
round before exiting. Another major disappointment was the exclusion
of Caitlin Clark who has made women's basketball exciting to watch. An upcoming visitor watched the women;s semi final. See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/06/my-60-year-love-affair-with-basketball.html
It was upsetting to see that sports betting was among the adverstiers. To me excessive gamblsing is -a disease. Like other pleasures a little bit may be fun, but dangerous when it becomes habitual.
The French crowd support does play a role which was very noticeable in the team sports.
Another almost mandatory focus was on Simone Biles. She is likable as well as a joy to watch. This was the first time I saw her fall which reminded she is mortal.
Water Polo was something I paid little attention until my daughter became captain of champion high school team. There is skill and strategy involved with a lot going on below the water. c
Wrestling was an event once considered for discarding. I grew up frowning on televised wrestling, but got a different perspective when I attended the University of Guelph where they had a champion wrestling team including one top wrestler who lived on the same residence floor. Wrestling is a foundaton of the original Olympics.
The French organizing committee made an effort for greater gender equity. The events were split evenly between male and female.
Climate change was another theme. Paris was conscious of the Seine being polluted and made efforts to clean up.
For the third summer Olympics, a refugee team exemplifies the international peace theme This time they won their first medal, a bronze in women's boxing.
Andre De Gras had at first a bad Olympics. He failed to qualify for the finals in either the 100 or 200 meter run. In fact none of the relay team members made the finals, but they had practiced together and won the gold medal illustrating that team work does make a difference. All relays are fun to watch. Botswana won silver in 4 x 400 men's men;s relay.
Break dancing was a big surprise. A Canadian won a gold and was mind numbing impressive.
Tahiti provided an exotic setting several time zones away from Paris. Surfing is fun to watch, but not too much was shown in my tv. coverage.
The Closing Ceremonies were not as interesting as the opening, but the Los Angeles delegates provided something different, especially Tom Cruise who performed a stunt that saw him fall from a high spot, pick up the Olympic flag and supposedly transport it to L.A. Some American entertainers, some ceremony. filled out the evening. One new feature was to present the medals for the women's marathon. .
France showed off its tourism attractions. Earlier I had read they are one of the best organized tourist destinies. http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/02/overbooked-and-thoughts-on-tourism.html
Each Olympics tries to set itself as unique. Some sports will be
dropped while others will be added. I understand break dancing will be
dropped and I suspect baseball will be added. My son plays on the New
Zealand dodge ball team. At an international tournament my wife and I
talked to an American enthusiast who thought dodge ball had a lot to
offer, but didn't need the Olympics to validate itself, just a joy to
play. Check it out as it is also a joy to watch. http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/09/dodge-ball.html
Other viewers would have emphasized different points as there was so much to check out. The Olympics are still for me the most exciting event of the year and I am looking forward to the Paralympics, Winter Olympics and the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
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