The 31st Olympic Games, hosted by Brazil and Rio de Janeiro, were one of the most spectacular, as well as controversial, Olympics in recent memory. What makes them especially unique is the overwhelmingly negative media coverage Rio received prior to the Games, featuring everything from infected water and Zika virus threat to the athletes to the political unrest across Brazil. Many people, including myself, expected the Rio games to be a complete disaster. However, while controversy did occur during the Olympics (Ryan Lochte’s antics certainly didn’t help the situation…), the amazing feats of athleticism and camaraderie we saw greatly overshadowed the adversity.
Sadly, these were the final Olympics for two of the greatest Olympians in history: American swimmer Michael Phelps (unless he comes back from retirement again) and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. Michael Phelps added several more medals, including 5 golds and a silver, to his already unprecedented medal collection, which reached an astounding 28 medals. On the other hand, while he doesn’t have 28 medals, Usain Bolt also accomplished an amazing achievement. A nine-time Olympic gold medalist, Bolt became the first sprinter to win gold in the 100m, 200m, and 4 x 100m relay at three consecutive Olympic Games. It’s a shame that the media’s obsession with selling the Rio Games as a disaster and continually highlighting the city’s unpreparedness in hosting took attention away from the stories of the athletes.
No story of the Rio Olympics would be complete without at least a mention of the many controversies that occurred. One of the major controversies was created by the media and how it portrayed the Olympics. Specifically, how it undermined the success of women athletes by somewhat attributing their success to the men in their life. For example, Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu won gold in the 200 Individual Medley, white setting a world record – clearly an amazing feat for any athlete, male or female. However, the news outlets which covered her event and dominance credited her husband as the man “responsible” for turning his wife “into a whole different swimmer.” Even though she broke the world record and dominated her competitors, her husband was eventually given the credit.
As the first Games to take place in South America, I think the host nation of Brazil did a great job of introducing the world to that region of the globe. They used every opportunity they had, from the opening ceremonies to the closing ceremonies, to highlight the unique culture and people of that region. Often, the intensity of competition between nations overshadows the true purpose of the Olympic Games, which is to bring people together under the common theme of competition. Here is a picture that shows exactly what I mean (where else would someone from North Korea be able to take selfie with someone from South Korea?). All in all, while the Olympics did produce controversy, they were also one of the most entertaining Games I have seen. I’m greatly looking forward to the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
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