The Olympics are soon to be foisted upon us again. I confess that I have little interest in sport, and find the “over the top” enthusiasm and saturation coverage by the media of this four yearly event to be tedious in the extreme.
This time it is the turn of the “lucky” Greeks to host this sporting extravaganza.
The modern Olympics, a far cry from the games envisaged by the ancient Greeks, are in my view a complete waste of time and money:
- The hapless cities that host them are turned into a traffic congested hell on earth.
- A media circus descends on the city and occupies every hotel, bar and restaurant; displacing the local citizens.
- Despite the hype and media splurge, those that host the event rarely see a profit.
- The security risks these days far outweigh the benefits; viz the pipe bombing in Atlanta in 1996, and the terrorist atrocity in Munich in 1972. Goodness only knows what is being planned by the fanatics and scum for the 2004 games.
- The athletes themselves, instead of being fine examples of the human body in its natural form, are in fact pumped up products of illegal steroids and substances. So much for promoting health, fitness and vitality!
- Some athletes so grotesquely abuse substances and their bodies, in order to make their mark on the Olympics; that even their gender is called into question.
- The games, originally designed to promote friendly competition between rival nations, are used as a massive propaganda tool by the host countries to promote their own vision of society. Witness the Munich Olympics of 1936, or the tit for tat boycotting of the Olympics by the USA and USSR in the 1980’s.
I for one will be doing everything possible to avoid reading about them, or watching them, when they start later this year.
They are, in my opinion, of little value or purpose.
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