The Olympic Games at a crossroads

The pictures will go around the world again. The opening ceremony at the Bird's Nest in Beijing will be colorful and naturally styled down to the last fingernail. Similar to the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing at the same location. Similar to many other events of this kind that did not take place in an autocratic state. There is no room for freedom in these thoroughly orchestrated shows. Especially not in these Corona times. Of course, this doesn't detract from the fascination. The colorful images are intended to get us in the mood for the sporting highlights.

After all, we are constantly told, it's all about sport. About the trampled human rights in China, about the extermination of the Uighurs, about the democracy movement in Hong Kong that was ended with firearms and the persecution of the Tibetans: about all of this and also about the Chinese government's blatant saber-rattling with its territorial claims over the island of Taiwan Please take care of politics. Now it's all about points in figure skating, hits in biathlon, fast times in the downhill and long jumps from the brand new jumps. Sport has nothing to do with politics. Not even close. Corona also determines everyday life at the Olympics, like here in a train station in Zhangjiakou. © ANSA / FILIP SINGER

The awarding of the games to Beijing was already political, because the Chinese capital is now the first city in the world to host both summer and winter games. This is a huge boost to the Chinese government's image, because they ultimately prevailed over many applicants who, it should not be forgotten, did not receive a place from their population for the games. Sion, Oslo or Munich were not allowed and could not register with the IOC. All that remained was Kazakhstan, another autocratically ruled state, which lost in the election seven years ago with a vote of 40:44.

Since IOC President Thomas Bach, IOC President Thomas Bach has been spreading the myth that the Games will make the world look more closely at the decisions of the Chinese regime. But President Xi Jingping, who has already received the Olympic medal, doesn't care. Nothing will get better for the people of China. That was already the case after Beijing 2008. Once again, China is using the increased publicity to externally document the effectiveness of its political system by building monumental competition venues.

To achieve this, villages were mercilessly destroyed, simply flattened, and people were relocated. Forests are also being cut down in nature reserves and rivers are being deprived of the water that is so important for the population in Beijing to operate 300 snow cannons. There were no protests against this. Just like in a state that controls everything and everyone and now also all participants in the Olympic Games in the next three weeks. Added to this is the economic dependence of many Western countries on China as a producer of cheap goods and as a gigantic sales market. This quickly takes the wind out of the sails of critical comments. You don't want to spoil things with China. <a data-caption="So wird in einem der Medienzentren in Peking den Journalisten das Mittagessen geliefert. Das muss fotografiert werden. © ANSA / MARK R. CRISTINO" data-fancybox="inline-99770" target="_image" href="https://s3-images.sportnews.bz/_images/scale/1280x1280/img/2022/02/so-wird-in-einem-der-medienzentren-in-peking-den-journalisten-das-mittagessen-geliefert-das-muss-fotografiert-werden.jpg"> Lunch is delivered to journalists in one of the media centers in Beijing. This needs to be photographed. © ANSA / MARK R. CRISTINO

And yet it is palpable, the Olympic spirit, the spirit that somehow affects everyone who has anything to do with the Olympics. In 1972 I was allowed to carry the Olympic flame through my hometown of Wolfratshausen. I will never forget that moment when I was handed the torch and started running. I was wearing a T-shirt with the Olympic rings on the chest. Somehow I was also an Olympic starter and I was really proud. This is the case with many, practically everyone, who is now making the effort to travel to Beijing in order to fulfill their Olympic dream. A few are fighting for medals, many, even most, are happy that they can take part at all. Anyone who misses the games because of an injury, a lack of form or, as this year, because of a positive corona test, faces unprecedented emptiness.

The Olympic Games have the status of a magical, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that only comes along every four years. This cycle alone highlights the specialness and uniqueness and of course the history and tradition. Concern about the continued existence of this unique event is fueled primarily by gigantism on almost all levels. The sport that should be in the foreground is surrounded by sponsors and marketing measures. The games appear to be primarily a single, well-oiled money-printing machine, although much of the revenue also flows back to the many different national associations, which of course also show their appreciation in the spirit of the Olympic movement in upcoming elections. It's all a close-knit network. And yet: There is nothing bigger, nothing more important in the world of sport.

If we succeed in returning to the purely sporting level in the next few years and significantly tightening up the IOC's catalog of demands on potential organizers, we need not worry about Baron de Coubertin's Olympic idea. There is no alternative and with the next games in Paris, Milan with Cortina and Los Angeles, after three games in a row in Asia, we are once again targeting countries with great sporting traditions and Olympic history. Probably just in time.

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The Olympic Games at a crossroads

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