Olympic Triumph?

Is the Paris Olympics a wonderful celebration of athletic prowess? An opportunity for France to display its national cultural identity to the world? A mere nationalistic flag-waving jamboree? Is it about the brilliance of the individual or the medal total of a nation? Or a massive commercial event for sponsors and other opportunists? Probably, all of the above!

There’s so much to be won or lost by all the stakeholders. But the athletes can’t afford to have such big questions in their minds when they compete. They must stay focused. And we British viewers must depend on BBC choices to narrow our focus among the bewildering range of sports on offer.

In the first days of competition British swimmer Keanna MacInnes came fourth in the semi-final of the women’s 200m butterfly and so failed to qualify for the Olympic final by the finest of margins. With it went the hope of a medal. It barely rated a mention in BBC coverage.

By contrast there was huge celebration in the studio for the Team GB’s women’s quadruple sculls crew who pipped the Dutch for gold literally at the post – by the width of a coat of varnish on their boat. Joy too over the GB synchronised diving girls who landed a bronze thanks to a last-gasp slip by their Australian rivals.

The BBC team love a winner. Because so do the public. That’s broadcasting. It’s good for the viewer ratings. Come fourth and you become almost invisible. Studio anchor Clare Balding is not quite credible when she reports that a Team GB athlete came a ‘creditable’ 9th out of 10 competitors, a pained smile flickering across her face. What must it feel like to lose, to miss a medal by a hundredth of a second and so see the hopes of four years disappear in the twinkling of an eye?

So what about the great Paris event itself? Does it rate gold, silver, bronze or is it an also-ran among modern sporting events? Some athletes like tennis star Emma Raducanu do not think it is worth their time to compete.

The Olympic ideal is about ‘excellence, respect and friendship’. There is no doubt about excellence. Some of the feats that the athletes perform are truly astonishing. Gymnastic routines for example – how do they do that? The athletes do appear to respect their rivals and seem to maintain friendships with them. As far as we can tell – which is not very far!

The man credited with renewing the ancient Games just over a century ago, Baron de Coubertin, famously said: ‘The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part’. That's when it gets complicated in the 21st century. And of course, money is at the root of the complication. Nike and Adidas are major sponsors of kit, their logos everywhere to be seen. So too Coca Cola, Visa, Toyota and even Airbnb.

Most athletes have sponsorship contracts which depend on their relative success at the Games. Athletes stand to lose thousands of pounds and maybe their livelihoods from one crucial, poor performance. Winning, or at least being placed, matters hugely.

But before we say that it’s all about money, consider this: One member of Team GB wrote this in her diary in 2012: "My name is Lola Anderson and I think it would be my biggest dream in life to go to the Olympics in rowing and if possible win a gold for GB." Embarrassed by the apparent absurdity of her comment, she threw the scrap of paper away. But her father found it when emptying the bin. He kept it and seven years later handed it back when he was in the final stages of cancer. Lola kept it as her inspiration and earlier this week she won that gold medal in the women’s quad skulls.

There are no doubt many other back stories to be told by medal winners and also-rans alike. Of family sacrifice, personal endurance and of humanity pushed to its limits. It’s far too soon to judge the overall success of these Games but I will shelve any cynicism about it merely being a huge money-spinner. It clearly is a lot more than that!

Vive Paris 2024! Vive La France!