Tonight in Rio de Janeiro the curtain goes up on the Olympic games against a familiar backdrop of doping controversies, security concerns and doubts whether Brazil was the right choice to host the five ring circus. In the seven years since the International Olympic Committee selected Rio as the host city for the XXXI games, enthusiasm has waned for the first South American Olympics. An initially generous welcome has given way to serious scepticism.
Every Olympics faces exaggerated claims about suitability, infrastructure delays, budget overruns and ticket sales. But Rio has suffered more than most recent host cities in trying to extinguish the assorted fires. An economy that was thriving in 2009 is now in deep recession. Political turmoil has led to public unrest, not least over the spiralling cost of the games themselves. However, despite the prospect of street protests over the next 16 days, much of that disquiet will be put aside as sport takes over and the world’s best athletes captivate a massive global audience with the audacious performances that light up every Olympics.
From the swimming pool to the athletics arena to the boxing ring, the action will be compelling – even for those with only a passing interest. Low profile sports which only get an opportunity once every four years to showcase their star performers become mainstream for a fortnight and new heroes are discovered in the most unlikely of events. That is still the essence of the Olympics and why its allure remains strong enough to inspire thousands of athletes to dedicate their careers to competing on sport’s greatest stage. For most, their achievement will be getting to the starting line in Rio rather than securing a place on the winner’s podium. The rewards for endless hours of training and personal sacrifice will not be gold, silver or bronze but being able to call themselves an Olympian.
But that noble ambition has never been under greater threat. The Olympics struggles with many problems but nothing on the scale of its inability to deal with the scourge of doping. The majority of the 11,000-plus athletes competing in Rio will be clean. But they need to feel they are doing so on a level playing field, that their achievements are not undermined by the cheating of others, and that they are protected by a governing body determined to deal severely with doping.
The custodian of sport’s great carnival, the International Olympic Committee, has promised zero tolerance on drug abuse. However, that vow has been completely undermined by its handling of the recent Russian doping scandal where systematic abuse was uncovered but ultimately sidestepped. The wellbeing of the Olympic movement has never been more fragile. Even a hugely successful Rio games may not be enough to restore belief in its integrity.