The Closing ceremony is over, now what?

The 33rd Olympiad has concluded. Paris dropped the mic with a highly enjoyable Closing Ceremony at the Stade de France, finally featuring the true stars of the Games. Couldn’t the Opening Ceremony have been just as epic?

Our jaws dropped at the choreographed Spectacle (with a capital S), filled with strong symbolism and a special tribute to Greece. Then, athletes from around the world swayed to the rhythm of ‘Freed From Desire,’ followed by a somewhat off-script party with Phoenix rocking out surrounded by athletes. Towards the end, the handover ceremony took place, passing the baton to LA for 2028 with some classic American flair: ‘Tom Cruise dropping from the ceiling and speeding off on a motorcycle with the Olympic flag,’ like a retired Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible, but with a touch of senility. I’m already dreading 2028.

The Olympic Games are and should be, a grand celebration that moves us, entertains us, and teaches us a thing or two. They won’t solve the world’s problems or bring about global peace. Still, they can give us the feeling that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves, creating what Thomas Bach, the otherwise ultra-boring IOC president, called a ‘culture of peace’—one of the few phrases from his speeches that stuck with me.

From July 26th until now, the whole world has been absorbed by the Olympics, tracking medal counts, enjoying Olympic memes, and discussing what athletes have said and which records they’ve broken. Everyone’s also trying to figure out what exactly badminton with the little shuttlecock is and whether canoeing is the same as kayaking or the other way around. These two weeks every four years are rightfully dedicated to these kinds of questions and curiosities, with public television playing a significant role by broadcasting every sport from morning till night, including all the Greek competitors. I wish ERT could always be like this.

As a journalist focused on less popular sports, particularly amateur Olympic sports, I have mixed feelings about the end of the Games. On the one hand, I’m glad that athletes are finally getting the recognition they deserve and have the chance to share their thoughts with the public, even if it’s just for those 15 minutes (or rather, seconds) of fame, as Andy Warhol would say.

I know from experience, however, how fleeting all of this is and how when the Olympic hype fades, very few will actually care about what these kids will do next year, the conditions they train under, the other achievements they might reach, or whether they have hit their limits.

For these athletes, there are two possible outcomes at the Olympics: a) winning a medal or b) making a genuine emotional statement to the camera, like the one Thodoris Iakovidis made in Tokyo and Dora Gountoura in Paris. Only by doing this can they significantly impact their current situation and help their sports achieve a better future through a suddenly renewed interest from sponsors who view them as ‘role models for youth and society’ and other such grandiose statements. But where was this awareness a mere month prior?

As for the government, there’s no discussion—the government still places sports at the bottom of its funding priorities. There is no long-term development plan, and the comparison to other developed countries is disheartening.

For all the reasons above, I both like and dislike you, Charilaos from Filiatra (of course, you’re also under your “Eiffel tower”), for tallying up the medals using the first person plural in your references “we won/we lost.” I both like and dislike you for empathizing with the national injustice toward Gountoura but for also having too much of an armchair opinion without having the slightest clue about either her or the basic rules of fencing. I still both like and dislike you for feeling invested in the Games but disappointed in Elina Tzenko and the National polo team, who you only think about once every four years. Be better than that.

What is the solution to break the cycle? Widespread sports education: on television, in schools, at home, and in the media. Younger generations must understand that Greek sports include more than just football and basketball. Charilaos should also learn to support these athletes outside the Olympics, as competitive events occur yearly. Let’s not focus only on the hype.