Should the Olympic Games Still Go On?

Should the Olympic Games Still Go On?

After a year-long postponement, The 2021 Tokyo Olympics will begin Friday with the opening ceremony. This is usually the time for anticipation and excitement from fans worldwide, but with spectators not attending due to the pandemic, should the Olympic Games still go on?


Go back to ancient Greece, and you will see that the original Olympic Games were about celebrating a human accomplishment, the physical feats that athletes could perform. Yes, there was a religious festival tied to the Games back then, but first and foremost, it was about pushing the limits of individual performance in the name of competition.

Fast forward to today, and while the 2021 Olympic Games will not take place in front of fans, the basic premise of the Games themselves remains and makes them as relevant as ever. Spectators are not needed to have the greatest athletes in the world pushing themselves to extreme limits in the name of competition and representing their nations, similar to the athletes who once represented city-states proudly and carried the banner of their entire community on their backs.

And if one doesn't want to go back to Ancient Greece, all one has to do is listen to the words of the father of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, who stated, "The Olympic Games were created for the exaltation of the individual athlete."


If only two options existed; (1) continue without spectators or (2) cancel the Games, then I could understand a decision to proceed without the passion and magic created by the crowds. In taking a page from the international game of golf, we note that a third option also exists and deserves strong consideration. That option, postpone the Olympic Games until a time when it is safer to allow spectators. This is precisely the path undertaken by several golf governing bodies related to the nearly 100-year old Ryder Cup matches, which were to take place in the second half of 2020, as part of an every-other-year schedule.

Guy Kinnings, Europe's Ryder Cup Director, said: "The Ryder Cup is rightly celebrated as one of the world's greatest sporting occasions, made special and totally unique in our sport by the fervent atmosphere created by the passionate spectators of both sides. While that point is significant, it is not as important as the health of the spectators which, in these difficult times, is always the main consideration. We considered all options including playing with a limited attendance but all our stakeholders agreed this would dilute the magic of this great occasion."

Dating back to its origins and evolving through time, the Olympics provided people an opportunity to collectively gather and celebrate (gods — nations — individual athletes — outstanding performances and acts of true sportsmanship).

If a tree were to fall in the woods, it would technically make a sound, but it would not, practically, create noise without anyone present. That energy, the perception of noise, and the resulting energy of the crowd add an element to sport, particularly to the Olympic Games, that makes its attainment worth the wait of another year.

 

Should the Olympic Games Still Go On?https://www.cbiz.com/Portals/0/Images/Olympics-Tokyo-CBIZ.jpg?ver=2021-07-20-125820-677After a year-long postponement, The 2021 Tokyo Olympics will begin Friday with the opening ceremony. This is usually the time for anticipation and excitement from fans worldwide, but with spectators not attending due to the pandemic, should the Olympic Games still go on?2021-07-20T17:00:00-05:00Risk MitigationPrivate EquityAccounting Advisory & OutsourcingNo