Opinion - The Paris Olympics’ efforts at change have tarnished the deep-rooted traditions of the Games

by Brian Cooke

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. It’s a saying as old as time, or as old as the Olympics. The first Olympic Games took place in 7th century BC in Ancient Greece as a festival to honor their namesake, the gods of Mount Olympus. However as time has passed, the games have come to represent something else entirely. While the Olympics have seen the radical change so dominating of the 20th and 21st centuries, it's the traditions rooted in time that have given the Olympics it’s unique reputation as the greatest athletic competition the world has to offer.

That’s why this Olympic Games has received so much backlash for departing from the Olympic mold. For starters, the opening ceremony, an event where the ‘‘world comes together to share common values,’’ according to the Vatican, was overshadowed by a ‘‘[lack] of respect for… the religious convictions of many [Christians]’’, caused by a controversial re-enactment of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ. The ceremony further departed from tradition as teams floated along the Seine via boats, rather than marching parade-style into a stadium as was historically custom. The Paris opening ceremony took one of the most unique and intriguing events in the world and relegated it to a hot-topic TV spectacle that shrouded the Games in controversy from the very beginning.

The second point of disruption to the Olympics has been the conditions of the Olympic Village. The French government vowed to cut the carbon emissions of the Olympics in half, compared to the previous Games in Tokyo. Although it is never a bad thing to be environmentally protective, the most important part about the Olympics is the Olympians. Unfortunately, the French government decided to value the politically motivated talking points over the experience of their guests. Food, sleep, and safety are about the three most important things to not just an Olympian, but to any human being, and in reducing their carbon footprint the French government decided these were the three areas to make changes. 

First, to reduce carbon emissions, plant based options were doubled and food like eggs and meat were limited. However, considering that athletes consume lots of eggs and meat, it was obvious that they would run out, forcing athletes to get food off-site. Second, the beds in the athletes rooms were made out of cardboard, in order to be recyclable, and according to Dr. Chris Winter, the lack of bed structure could pose ‘‘disastrous’’ risk for the low back of athletes. Third, the rooms in the Olympic village were not fitted with A/C, which was done to reduce carbon emissions. However due to a major heat wave in France, killing multiple people, countries were forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring their own A/C units. 

Finally, there have been three incidents, one involving the Argentine soccer team, a Japanese rugby player, and Australian hockey coach, in which valuables were stolen from their rooms at the village. This could be explained by the fact that the French government did not provide any police support for the village and that countries are responsible for bringing their own security. But in forcing countries to bring their own A/C, bring their own security, and eat off site, the benefits of the carbon neutrality were negated and the French government’s efforts weren’t at all beneficial after all.