You can draw up a pretty lengthy charge sheet against the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee has long been associated with corruption and was led for many years by a Spanish fascist, Juan Antonio Samaranch. The 1936 Berlin Olympics - the first with a torch relay - became a propaganda event for the Nazis. The 1968 Games in Mexico City went ahead after the army had massacred hundreds of students protesting against them.
The build up to the London Olympics has already seen the "social cleansing" of working-class tenants, homeless people and sex workers from surrounding boroughs, restrictions on protesting near the stadium and the now standard corporate control of ticket allocation, merchandise and refreshments.
In itself, though, there is nothing wrong with the idea of an international event bringing together athletes and other sportsmen and women from across the world to compete. The participants themselves are not responsible for the actions of the IOC or host countries - indeed, many of them may oppose them and, in one inspiring example, used the medal podium to signal their opposition to racism and poverty.
Nothing wrong with the theory, but the reality is very different. The question of submission to Mammon has devalued the Games, as some of the sponsorship deals confirm.
ReplyDeleteI agree Nev, although, however reprehensible it appears from a CAMRA viewpoint, there are far worse things than Heineken buying "sole pouring rights", in particular the unspoofable sponsorship of the Paralympics by ATOS.
ReplyDeleteYes, that is a really crass decision by the utterly useless LOCOG.
ReplyDelete