Five Ring Circus

It just began last week, but even before the official opening ceremonies they were already competing. And the first gold medal went to Ginny Thrasher in the Women's BB gun competition. I know they call it an “air rifle” now, but let's be frank: it's a BB gun. Euphemisms be damned.

Would the Greek gods have used BB guns to defend Mount Olympus? I'm not sure, but I really doubt it. In all likelihood they'd have had other things on their minds. They'd probably have been more interested in playing volleyball on some Aegean beach, or, perhaps, golfing in (what is now) Thessaloniki.

That isn't what you think of when you ponder the Olympics? It's not my idea either. Neither am I sure that the Greek gods would recognize the modern Olympic Games. But that's what there is nowadays. Beach volleyball, along with the track and field, swimming, tennis, soccer, water polo, and a host of other events that expand the schedule. And even if they're on the golf course, now between ads, human interest material (not that the immortal ones are especially interested in humans), and other fillers, the gods would be able to watch the games on their iPads – or whatever they're called in Greek.

Things have changed over the millennia. Back in the old days – three thousand years ago, give or take – the games were utilized in order to promote Hellenic unity – “pan-hellenism – since the numerous independent city-states in the area were always at war. They were held every four years and included track, equestrian events (including chariot races after a while), and self-defense competitions like boxing and wrestling. Because it was a goal to promote unity, wars were not fought at the time of the contests. Nor was there battle for a while before and after the events, so as to give participants and spectators a chance to travel to and from the site of the competition safely. There was a sacred truce. And the games' success, both as sport and as an instrument of peace, led to the establishment of similar contests elsewhere in the region: in Delphi, Corinth, and Nemea at various times during the Olympiad – the four year period between Olympic games. Musical programs took place at Delphi, and dance, poetry, and drama presentations also occurred, although they were not a feature of the games at Olympia. Leo Arnaud's music certainly wasn't a feature, nor the pomp of the opening ceremonies, or the art exhibitions featured in some of the modern games. That's entertainment.

I don't know how much corruption was involved then, but now the records for are truly impressive. Because of the anticipated revenues from tourism, there is bribery of Olympic officials by those desiring to hold the games in their cities (although they never seem to finish preparations on time, and the illusion of riches doesn't always reflect the reality). As a result, many officials have gotten rich in the modern world. They can swing a good deal of revenue to the place awarded the event. When the games were in fixed locations, that wasn't a problem.

As for steroids and other “performance-enhancing” drugs, I doubt that they were an issue. Even if some herbs were believed to make one a better athlete, that was considered desirable. And how would they have tested for illegal substances anyway?

All in all, it's hard not to conclude that the ancient games were far more in keeping with the idea of what they should be than the ones we hold now. Apart from the fact that they were men-only events. There was no debating over the issue of amateur versus professional when it came to determining eligibility – although we've stopped worrying about that. And the idea that a truce accompanied each set of games is very appealing, one that might benefit us. It's certainly something to think about. For the most part, I consider the games to be an overly long waste of time, but if wars did not take place during the competitions I'd be willing to accept wall-to-wall Olympics. Even with the bizarre events that they've interpolated into them. As a matter of fact, why not Olympic three-legged races?

I never thought I'd say that.