Friday 23 July 2021
Olympic opening is a mockery
The mendacious show by Thomas Bach
By Tobias Nordmann
The Olympic Games in Tokyo begin with an opening that is all about Corona. There is no flair without a spectator. The powerful IOC boss Thomas Bach hides that and raves about the great struggle his association has made to hold the games.
For Thomas Bach this Friday could have been much worse. For the powerful boss of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), this Friday could even have been really uncomfortable. If not only carefully selected guests had been allowed in the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, but also not carefully selected spectators had been admitted, then the 67-year-old might have received the Japanese version of a real world shitstorm.
Hardly anyone is as unpopular these days in the host country of the Olympic Games as the IOC boss. In a survey that caused a sensation this week, 82 percent of the Japanese surveyed would rather have the delta variant of the corona virus in the country than the ignorant sports official from Germany. A bitter mockery for the Japanese: They now have both in the country. And neither could they prevent. The fact that Bach thanked the Japanese, whom he had called Chinese shortly before the games, that they made the games possible, a blow to the f …, the word is better not spelled out.
There are no whistles
The real-world shitstorm in the stadium would probably have been equivalent to a typhoon by Japanese standards. To stay in the picture, because such a storm is brewing over the Pacific and threatens to have a massive impact on the competitions of the games. That’s what the IOC can do, that’s not what Thomas Bach can do about it. Judging by the protest standards in Germany, the statements made against the 67-year-old might hardly have been noticed. But because there is no pronounced protest culture in Japan, even small but loud anti-moods from a few people – a good hundred protesters had gathered in front of the stadium – are causing a stir in the country.
Just like political or socio-political statements by the emperor. He’s actually not allowed to do that. Nevertheless, in the past few weeks it has become known that the Tenno will be responsible for hosting the games. The corona numbers in the country are rising too much. Too few Japanese are currently vaccinated. Many share the concerns. Olympia could become a super spreader.
Thomas Bach is evidently not particularly affected by these worries. He really wanted to get the games through a year after the move. He did it. This Friday he got his big stage, his big show. Without whistles. With dutifully applauding guests (sounded uncomfortably creepy to the huge crowd), with euphoric athletes (with a mask, of course). Of course, you shouldn’t blame them for their joy. Once at the Olympics, this is what these athletes dream of, what they are preparing for. For many, participation is vitally important (sponsorship contract is the keyword). And, of course, it is also lucrative for the IOC. So lucrative that a pandemic is a nuisance. The IOC has this behavior in common with UEFA, whose persistence in hosting the European Championship was remarkably ignorant.
Games of hope or mistrust?
There is no time for admission on this day. It is, after all, “a moment of hope”. This is how Bach sees it in his opening speech of the games. It is a speech that impressively sprints past the current realities. There is an emergency in Tokyo, people are asked to stay at home (there is no curfew, however) and there will be no spectators at the competitions. More and more athletes and supervisors are testing positive for the corona virus. There are strict rules for guests to leave their quarters. The feeling of hope is certainly not spreading in the Japanese capital at the moment. Bach still likes to say thank you. “We can only all be together here, thanks to you, our gracious hosts, the Japanese people, to whom we would like to express our full appreciation and respect.”
Hope so? No, the situation is more like this: “There is no sign of euphoria or festive mood in the capital. Many just want the event to end without serious problems,” writes the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. It is “unusual and bizarre” games that begin in the midst of “division and distrust”. There are words, perceived truths that stand in stark contrast to the words of the IOC boss: He not only raves about the unifying power that the sport creates, that the IOC creates. It also conjures up a new solidarity in the world community. A caring togetherness, as it is lived in his association. Bach says: “This solidarity fuels our mission to make the world a better place through sport. Without solidarity there is no peace.” There it is again, the peace mission of the mighty.
It has long been considered an open secret, at best, that the 1976 Olympic fencing champion is toying with the Nobel Peace Prize. Actions such as his controversial visit to Hiroshima in the past few days, the joint appearance of North and South Korean teams or the assembled refugee team at the games are criticized as a calculation.
The grand opening ceremony on this Friday afternoon also seems alienated. The festival is celebrated for almost three hours. Athletes wave into the void. Bach waves back from the void. Almost a symbol: the athletes are only here because of him. Unfortunately it is the truth. However, many athletes stayed away. Some because they have to get in early the next day, others because they are unfamiliar with this staging. “When I think about it like that, I didn’t think for a second about attending the opening,” tweeted beach volleyball player Karla Borger.
It was also a production that treated any public criticism as if it had never been uttered. In the historical film about the past games, visible to the whole world, the Nazi games of 1936 were shown as a matter of course, excerpts from Leni Riefenstahl’s propaganda film “Festival of Beauty” were shown.
The Riefenstahl scandal
Another thing: the gigantism with which associations so like to adorn themselves. Sometimes less is more, is a motto that powerful functionaries are strangling with. 800 drones painted the Olympic symbol in the night sky and then formed a globe. It was spectacularly impressive and in a special way also emotional. But also an expression of pomp and power. At best it was a symbol of complete alienation. On the one hand the one in the deserted stadium and on the other, the visible side: the world. There was another way. The pictogram show was cool and not at all pompous. This is how it can be done. But the drone has to be. Next contradiction to Bach’s words: “This Olympic experience makes us all very humble because we have the feeling that we are part of something bigger than ourselves.”
The games, they will exercise their fascination despite Corona. Hero stories always go. As well as dramas. And these very special résumés of athletes who have no chance at all, but who impress people with their enthusiasm, their courage and their will. But what these games won’t do: change the world. “The pandemic has forced us to be separated. To keep a distance from one another. Also stay away from our loved ones. This separation made this tunnel so dark,” says Bach. “But today, wherever you are in the world, we agree to share this moment together. The Olympic flame makes this light shine brighter for all of us.” Yes, this Friday could have been worse for him.
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