Be honest, are you really watching either?
It's the biggest sporting event (probably the biggest event, period) of the summer. Everyone I know is either watching on their TV or following along with daily updates on social media. Yup, it seems like the world's attention has temporarily shifted from ongoing conflicts and messy politics to gymnastics, synchronized swimming, boxing, and everything in between.
Apart from Celine Dion's triumphant return to the stage after battling with stiff-person syndrome and Beyoncé's iconic introduction of the US Olympic team, I haven't been paying much attention.
I noticed one article discussing how Russia and Belarus were banned and how Israel was booed when their national anthem played during their football team's opening game. Other than that, not a single bone in my body compels me to give a fuck.
For one thing, the Olympics haven't been the same since COVID-19. I remember looking forward to watching the 2020 Olympics hosted by Japan and then COVID happened and the rest is history. The Olympics were postponed and by the time they finally came to pass, I'd moved on with my life.
I remember in my childhood, watching the Olympics on the TV was a family occasion. And because it only occurs every four years, it felt more special to watch with the whole family.
Now, everyone wants to watch and enjoy their own thing and no one really cares that much about the Olympics. And why should they? There are a billion things to do instead of watching the Olympics. In any case, all the special moments will be edited down to highlight reels you can find on YouTube. There's no longer an incentive to tune in live unless you enjoy the live experience that much.
It's a melancholic feeling, having nostalgia for a particular memory that you'll never experience again...
I will never forget watching the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony live from my family's living room. Comedic legend of my childhood, Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean, made an iconic appearance and the Spice Girls reunited to give us some of their biggest hits. It was truly a moment to behold.
In the following weeks, Stephen Kiprotich won Uganda's first gold medal after what had been a 40-year drought of no wins. We were literally witnessing history. Now... I can't even name a single Ugandan athlete participating in this year's Olympics. Maybe it's because I'm just too busy with schoolwork. Or perhaps all the news updates on the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the conflicts in Sudan are taking up too much of my mental capacity.
Whatever the reason, the 2024 Olympics have failed to capture what made the 2012 Olympics so special to me. Or more accurately, I've failed to give a damn about a sporting event that feels like a distant memory from the past trying to hold on to some morsel of relevance.
What about you? Are you watching this year's Olympics? Who are you rooting for? Let me know in the comments down below. As always, thanks for reading!
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