On the eve of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, I am torn between my love for the underlying principles behind the Games, the camaraderie between the nations' athletes and fans, and the irresponsible politics and financial greed that accompany the world's greatest sporting spectacle.
I was at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics and it was a thrill of a lifetime, and one of my life goals achieved. What left a lasting impression on me was not so much the sporting events I attended, but rather the sense of happiness on everyone's face at being at the Olympics, as well as the general goodwill shown to one another, regardless of colour, creed or nationality. I sat in a public square watching a basketball match between Canada and Australia on a large TV screen. Sitting in a sea of Aussies, I was seemingly one of only three Canadians and a Swiss who were cheering for the underdog Canadian team. When the Canucks beat the local team, there was no anger or animosity shown, but a shared experience of seeing a great game in an atmosphere of sportsmanship. It is a yearning for these experiences that I will be at the 2012 Vancouver Winter Olympics, so that I can take pride in my country hosting the world, and once again get that warm and fuzzy feeling of being one with the rest of the world.
On the flip side, I detest how the Olympics have led to drug-cheating by athletes, irresponsible spending by organizers, bribing of Olympic members, social 'cleansing' by local government, and price gouging/housing speculation.
A recent article in Maclean's Magazine lamented the fact that 4 years after the Athens Olympics, many of the facilities stand empty, unused, crumbling and behind fences. So much for leaving a legacy. How about the legacy left behind by the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics, dubbed 'The Big Owe' by the local taxpayers who, after more than three decades after the event ended, finally paid off the debt left behind by the irresponsible organizers. True, certain games such as the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games, actually made a profit.
Interestingly enough, the Beijing Games will be the first games ever to sell out all the event tickets. In Sydney, I was quite surprised that there were many empty seats at the events I attended, i.e. volleyball and baseball, although the soccer game I attended was sold out. One of the reason's why the Sydney Games was such a 'success' was also because it failed to attract as many visitors as they had expected - rumour had it that the organizers had anticipated 500,000 visitors, but only 300,000 showed up. Some local Sydneysiders who intended to rent out their homes at exorbitant rents to tourists, wound up losing money by having to carry two properties for the duration of the Games. The price of Vancouver homes shot up right after the city's successful bid was announced, making housing even more unaffordable for the average Vancouver resident.
In the 1996 Atlanta Games and now in Beijing, local authorities are moving 'undesirable' residents to outlying areas, so that tourists and press do not see some of the more authentic aspects of the host city. In fairness, the 1992 Barcelona Games left a fabulously revitalized city.
The Beijing Games also reflects the desire of China to 'show-off' the country and how far it has advanced in the past three decades. When I was last in China in the late 1980's, Guangzhou was a small city with only two tourist hotels, few tall buildings and little evidence of modernization. As one of the first economic trade zones established by China, it is a regional economic powerhouse. For the Chinese, the Games has everything to do with status, and how the rest of the world perceives them. Does that ring a bell, from an individual perspective? People spending money money than they should trying to impress people they neither know nor like?
So, for all my deliberations about my feelings for the Olympics, I still believe that it is something everyone should experience live, rather than on TV. So, if you were planning on spending a few thousand dollars on a brand new TV, I would rather use that money to start saving for the next Olympics in London or Vancouver. You will get this giddy feeling of the possibilities of how the world could live in peace and happiness and a sense of oneness with your fellow human beings.
On your deathbed, you may say that you should have gone to the Olympics, but you'll never say that you should have bought the 50-inch TV.
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