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Athletes crossing the finish line
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Olympics – Living the dream or cheating it?

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10th Aug 2016
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In the past, the Olympics were a four-yearly treat for all. Whether you liked sports or not, the idea of supporting plucky amateur Brits in their efforts to reach a final (and then come last) never failed to excite.

Life moves on and there is now a severe danger that the event has become irretrievably tarnished.

To start with, we watch major sporting events from around the world on a daily basis. Further, the athletes are now professionals, meaning that the whole thing has become too serious.

The Olympic ideal never envisaged millionaires like Andy Murray and Rory McIlroy playing (or ducking) what to them is just another tournament.

Then there are the zika virus, Brazilian political issues and the drugs to devalue the event even further.

That last matter is becoming comical, if you like your humour pitch black. It seemed that every Russian was to be banned, whether he or she had enhanced their performance with drugs or not, while obviously stimulated athletes from elsewhere were still welcome. That makes no sense.

The reason for drug-taking is that it has all become too serious. Look at Chariots of Fire and you see decent people doing their best for fun and to please the King. Nowadays, winning and money are the sole motivators in far too many cases.

However, one could suggest that this is not too far from the attitude of many in our profession, where results drive us on far more than they did when I started.

Having said all of that, I am already lapping up events in which I have no interest because those plucky Brits are at it again. Do women really play 7 a side? Not if they’re British judging by Monday’s performance. Can we fall off a gymnastic prop and lose a medal? An indisputable yes. That is the true Olympic spirit.

You have to love the media coverage too. The cameras will follow someone from home breaking a PB to come last in a final, barely noticing the world record breaking winner, let alone the six people in between.

We will all be cheering when the big stars start bringing in the golds and that is no bad thing in a country where so much has been causing controversy and concern of late.

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