The Olympics: Turin 2006

[Before I start, let me tell you that this entry is part of a crossover with Beijing and Back Again, which is talking about the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.]

I used to really be into the Olympics. My respect for the event has been quickly declining for a number of reasons:

• Celebrating the achievements of the pharmaceutical industry: Drug use is rampant in the Olympics. Trainers has come up with lots of elaborate ways to mask banned substances, and a whole range of excuses for positive tests. They blame hair products or tampered food or unknown additives in legit medication. I grow increasingly cynical about whether the Olympics are about human achievement, or the achievements of the human and horse pharmaceutical industry. Maybe we should be awarding medals to drug companies at the podium.
• Corrupt judges and ambigious scoring: I knew a long time ago that Olympic judges take bribes. Here is another testament to human achievement... greed and corruption. The problem is not only because of judges, it's the fact that we need judges in the first place. If we need judges, then the event is subjective. If the event is subjective, then I don't feel it's a true olympic event. It's usually clear who ran the fastest, who jumped the highest, and who is the strongest. But what about who danced the best in ice dancing? Or who was more in synch for synchonized swimming? These events require judges, and in the end, who the true winners are come down to personal opinion.
• Commercialization of sport: This is part of a larger problem of course. Corporate sponsorship is flooding the airwaves, and really distracting from the athletes and events. In the last few weeks, I've seen ridiculous Olympic commercials, as companies try to cash in on the hard work of our olympic athletes. It's shameless and it's everywhere.
• Treating athletes like crap: Aside from the lucky few, the life of an olympic hopeful is not a very glamourous one. These people dedicate at least 4 years of their life for one event. They often sacrifice their family life and career. If they win gold, then things are great. If they get bronze or worse, life is not so great. The public loves gold medal winners, but if you cannot meet their lofty demands then you best watch your back after that plane ride home.

These complaints are not specific to the Turin Olympics. However because of them, I have been watching the Turin Olympics a lot less than previous Olympics. As an organization, the IOC should really take a long hard look at how they do things because things are going to get a lot worse before it gets better.