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A spectacle to behold. Records to break. The biggest. The brightest. A global village. The most eyeballs. A sports feast. Welcome to the exotic Paris Olympics. A dream destination.

That too after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that went spectator-less due to Covid. Add to that the romance of “an evening in Paris”. Its opening ceremony was not in a stadium but along the River Seine. The organizers promised that it would be the greenest and the most inclusive Olympics ever. Celine Dion was going to sing after a decade.

A time to really showcase the ability of France to be the most innovative and seamless organizer of this mega spectacle of sports, entertainment and tourism. The sheer size and number of athletes to be served, the amount of organizers to be engaged, the security to be handled, itself makes this task herculean. Countries however, are dying to host them as they represent unmatched showcasing, pride and socio-economic benefits.

The Olympics were under way and making headlines. Eyeballs made record on the internet. But all was not what was claimed to be. Headlines were, no doubt, made on records being broken. And headlines were also being made of the nightmarish living conditions for athletes. The whole focus on making the Olympics green, diverse, inclusive went beyond focus.

All Olympics need some spectacular performances and some controversies to make them memorable. That of course does not mean that the controversies eat at the very heart of the values that the Olympic games stand for. The opening ceremony was dramatic and daring being in the open air.

One and a half years after announcing she had been diagnosed with a rare condition called stiff-person syndrome - putting her future singing career severely at risk – the global music icon, Celine Dion rose to the top of the Eiffel Tower like a phoenix. It was emotion all over but definitely dampened by the rainfall that spoiled the special effects of the city of heart effects. The Eiffel tower showcasing of lights, however, has not been able to hide the dark bites of reality:

1- Green but Unlivable— Many organizations get carried away in their desire to be different. Some time that difference becomes an embarrassment rather than an achievement. Planning the “most sustainable” games meant limiting emissions to around 1.75 million tonnes of CO2. Previous summer Olympics, which include Tokyo 2020, Rio 2016 and London 2012, have emitted an average of 3.5 million tonnes of CO2.

So how to do that? Athletes will sleep on mattresses made from recycled fishing nets and bed bases from reinforced cardboard. Sounds like a ‘Wow’. What a brilliant idea. This is out of the box thinking. All these exclamations seemed justified, except that the out of the box became out of the bed.

A video went viral of the gold medalist Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon sleeping in the lawn ground near a bench apparently due to the discomfort of the cardboard beds. He tried to defuse the matter later on but too many other athletes have given visual evidence. The USA tennis star Coco Gauff revealed her team moved to a hotel due to poor conditions. Gauff shared a TikTok video, showing the inadequate facilities, including shared bathrooms and cardboard beds, in the hyped $1.6 billion village. Behind the glitz and glamour basics were missing. The village faced a food shortage after the opening ceremony, with eggs and grilled meat being rationed, affecting the performance of players who need high a protein diet to sustain cut throat strength competitiveness.

2- Inclusive but Exclusive— The other area of focus was on inclusivity of all backgrounds and cultures in the games. Gender focus was paramount. The sad controversy of Imane Khelif defeating and then being branded a transgender is not the only exclusion debate.

Overcome with emotion, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif left the ring in tears after a resounding victory over her opponent. Khelif has faced days of hateful comments and false accusations about her gender following her first fight against an Italian opponent who quit seconds into their bout.

Add to that there have been complaints about different scrutiny standards for athletes of colour and those who are white. Some actions are so blatantly non-inclusive that there is hardly any debate on them.

A few days before the ceremony, Sounkamba Sylla, a French Muslim relay runner, was told that she would be banned from the event if she wore her headscarf. A compromise was finally found: she was allowed to wear a cap for the parade on the Seine.

France has this exclusive credit for being the only country banning hijab. This is despite the fact that IOC, i.e., International Olympic Committee, has allowed women to wear hijabs. Then the much-publicised claim of reusing the facilities available to accommodate security, etc., have also been tarnished by reports of forced eviction of students from their lodgings to accommodate the Olympic staff.

In terms of organization of the biggest event on earth it is hard to beat the Far East countries. Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo Olympics were almost flawless in execution.

The most challenging ever Olympics were 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It represented a dangerous disaster in terms of Covid testing, safety, treatment, containment, etc, where completely unique SOPs and training had to take place. Tokyo came out with flying colours despite all these risks.

For Pakistan the Paris Olympics will be memorable with a high point. Before the start the lowest of the low was the single digit athlete contingent and the dozens of free riders on taxpayers’ money.

The picture of a senior minister busy with his family on a gondola was disgusting enough. Away from this the fantasy turned to reality took place. The heart- lifting performance of Arshad Nadeem, who won a gold medal at the Javelin throw event is straight out of fairy tale.

That throw of Arshad Nadeem was like a precision missile destroying all records not once but twice. It is an unforgettable feat. Arshad has created a record. He has etched his name in global sports. He has brought a smile on every face in the country.

His hard work, his determination, his struggle against all odds is what is even bigger than the record he smashed. Belonging to a humble family, he remains a star so far untouched by stardom. He represents a value system that is severely missing in the country. His never say never belief is what makes hope revive in this country.

Sports is important and so are sportsmen, but the sportsmen spirit is the real essence of any big event.

The unassuming way he goes about his business, his constant bond with Neeraj Chopra, his unbitter acceptance of the lack of enabling environment and his complete faith in his ability to perform with the blessing of God are some legacies that will outlive him.

Pakistan makes an appearance on the Olympic medal table after 32 years. It is a fact that needs real stock-taking. But for now we can all thank Arshad Nadeem’s unwavering faith and hard work for creating a real high in the sagging spirits of this nation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024

Andleeb Abbas

The writer is a columnist, consultant, coach, and an analyst and can be reached at [email protected]

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