The Games We Play
I’m not sleeping. It’s a combination of longer days and shorter nights. I wake with the sun…and I’m adjusting kind of poorly to what used to easily be in bed at 9.30pm up at 6am. Now, it’s more like in bed well after 10pm up at 5am.
Anyway, I said all that to say I was burrowing under my gravity blanket for a midday nap when I saw a tweet by Ben Bloom about the IOC banning kneeling at the Olympic Games. (here’s that article)
And I’ve got to say I’m disappointed, but not surpised.
I’m becoming more and more numb to the reality that more and more people and/or organizations no longer have any qualms about displaying blatant hypocrisy.
I’m looking at you IOC. An organization that claims to exist solely to protect and champion that Olympic Movement as if they are the Knights of Templar during the Crusades.
In an article written by Ben Bloom an excerpt from IOC guidelines said the following:
“There is a need to respect other athletes and their moment of glory, and not to draw attention away from that in any way.”
Interesting. Moving on…
“With demonstrations on the field of play, at the Olympic Village or during the official ceremonies, the dignity of the competition or the ceremony in question is destroyed for all the athletes concerned.
“When an individual makes their grievances, however legitimate, more important than the feelings of their competitors and the competition itself, the unity and harmony as well as the celebration of sport and human accomplishment are diminished.”
I added the emphasis.
Demonstrations on the field of play will destroy the dignity of the competition???
What about the dignity of the competitors?
The unity and harmony, and celebration of sport and human accomplishment are diminished?
Human accomplishment in sport doesn’t happen in a vaccum.
What world do these IOC members live in where they’d rather fiercly protect the temporary unity and harmony of the Games experience, than to take action or show support for using the unifying power of sport to TRULY create the unity and harmony that we are currently fighting for.
Let’s take a look at the Olympic Creed:
“The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well.”
This is rich.
So, the important thing in life is the fight?
The essential thing is not to have won but to have fought well?
This means then, that that podium moment…
which they are using to justify the stifling of voices of athletes’ places the triumph FRONT AND CENTER.
This is counter to their creed. The IOC’s actions are more aligned with the idea that
The Triumph (actually) Trumps (the) Trials and Tribulations (aka. THE FIGHT).
Moving on…
Have you heard of the Olympic Truce?
Historically it was created so that “the athletes, artists and their families, as well as ordinary pilgrims, could travel in total safety to participate in or attend the Olympic Games and return afterwards to their respective countries.”
Today this is how the IOC interprets their responsiblity to uphold the Olympic Truce:
Through this global and symbolic concept, the IOC aims to :
mobilise youth for the promotion of the Olympic ideals;
use sport to establish contacts between communities in conflict; and
offer humanitarian support in countries at war ; and more generally :
to create a window of opportunities for dialogue and reconciliation.
"Sport alone cannot enforce or maintain peace. But it has a vital role to play in building a better and more peaceful world."
Dr Jacques Rogge, IOC President, October 2007
A vital role, in building a better and more peaceful world… they said.
So when did the IOC abdicate its duties to use sport to build a better and more peaceful world in favor of doubling down on the “shut up and dribble?”
Anyone?
Bueller?
Exactly how do we go about building a better and more peaceful world when you don’t even want the athletes who are out here living in it to bring awareness to others about where the work is so that we can do that?
Take racism for example, it isn’t the only issue that needs awareness but it’s front and center right now. As an African-American female there is only so much I can do by myself to eradicate racism. I need the help of my friends both black and non. We need the majority of our country to say “enough” and do the work required to purge this disease out of our systems, institutions, and interactions.
As the reigning Olympic Champion who has had to navigate a life threatening health issue that affects 80% of black women, COVID-19 that disproportionately kills black people, shelter in place orders, the fear of hopping fences to train, anxiety about attracting the attention of the police, who’s watching people who look like her be murdered and their killers either go unpunished or receive sentences that are mockeries of justice over and over and over…
what is really so undignified about overcoming ALL of that,
to make my team,
make it to the games,
make it on the podium,
what is really so undignified about using that moment to say “Global Community, I need your help with this. I made it, but so many of us don’t. If you weren’t aware, now you are. Please help us build a better world.”
What is undignified about that?
How can the IOC not understand that valuing the ceremony over the people is the part of the same backward reasoning for why our divorce rates are so high?
All about the wedding and literally give zero shits about what it takes to make a marriage work.
All about the show…as long as you mute the people in it.
The unity and harmony of human accomplishment and celebration are DESTROYED?
Destroyed by the idea that athletes, who are human, who live in this world, have a message to share with their fellow global citizens about the world they live in?
They claim to want to celebrate us, while diminishing us.
Because they only want to celebrate ONE aspect of who we are.
They are like the well-meaning friend that proclaims to not “see color”
When actually, we want you to see our color, because we want to BE SEEN. In full.
So let’s talk about the Olympic Charter: which is to put it simply is the codification of the Fundamental Principles of Olympism
What’s Olympism? See Below.
Fundamental Principles of Olympism
1.Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.
Oh how interesting. Let’s keep going…
2. The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.
hmm…AT THE SERVICE OF HARMONIOUS DEVELOPMENT. Development requires…
you guessed it…
CHANGE.
And change requires…awareness followed by action.
And to top all that off they claim to be concerned with the “preservation of human dignity”
3. The Olympic Movement is the concerted, organised, universal and permanent action, carried out under the supreme authority of the IOC, of all individuals and entities who are inspired by the values of Olympism. It covers the five continents. It reaches its peak with the bringing together of the world’s athletes at the great sports festival, the Olympic Games. Its symbol is five interlaced rings.
Okay. I take no issue here.
4. The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.
Solidarity huh? Okay.
5. Recognising that sport occurs within the framework of society, sports organisations within the Olympic Movement shall apply political neutrality. They have the rights and obligations of autonomy, which include freely establishing and controlling the rules of sport, determining the structure and governance of their organisations, enjoying the right of elections free from any outside influence and the responsibility for ensuring that principles of good governance be applied.
I’ll say this. Political neutrality is a privilege a lot of us don’t have. Being apolitcal isn’t virtuous. It means that you don’t HAVE to care about the state of your government because you’re good EITHER WAY. You don’t care which party wins, or who has the house or senate because your daily life is unaffected.
Political neutrality isn’t a badge of honor, it’s a privileged platform.
One it seems the IOC believes we all have, because they do.
Or do they?
They are after all the same organization that championed a refugee team…right?
It’s not easy these days to run across something that doesn’t upset me. I’m sure you can relate to that right now too.
But one thing that I found solace in was the daily grind of training for the Olympic Games.
I haven’t thought once, that a medal ceremony was diminished because athletes used that moment that they worked hard for to bring awareness to a world where they want to use that same energy to improve.
If anything is diminished, it’s how I feel about the IOC… and their Games.
Blogger’s Note: You can find more information on the Olympic Creed, Charter, and the rules here.