France held one of the worst Olympics of our time
Thumbnail courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
The Olympics this year was filled with major feats and disappointments. We can only hope that
future Olympians can be treated with more respect.
Every four years, I sit on the couch with my family members in celebration of around 195 countries coming together to put on some of the greatest athletic performances of their lives. This year's Olympics was legendary as athletes continued to break barriers and set new records for themselves and their countries. Some of the highlights included Sweden’s Armand (Mondo) Duplantis beating his world record in the men’s pole vault, USA’s Katie Ledecky winning four medals in Paris and becoming the most decorated female swimmer in Olympic history, and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem winning gold—setting a new Olympic record in the process. We cannot deny that Paris had some of the most pivotal moments in Olympic history, but that does not change the fact that this year’s Olympics was a hot mess.
Before the opening of the 2024 Olympics, athletes, locals, and visitors worldwide looked skeptical as triathlon and marathon swimmers were expected to swim in La Grande Seine, a central river in France that was visibly unclean and allegedly polluted. People were uncertain whether these athletes should complete the events and brought attention to the serious matter as swimmers could fall ill if made to swim in this water for an extended amount of time. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo responded to put rest to the concerns by swimming in the Seine River in late June herself to prove that the water was safe to swim in.
Despite these efforts, as soon as the triathlon and marathon started, Olympians began reporting that they were left sick due to the bacteria in the Seine River. Three German swimmers were left ill after swimming in the river, and Belgium had to pull out of the triathlon after one of their swimmers got sick from the swim. This should have never happened. It was clear that France was unprepared and did not think about the health and wellness of thousands of athletes over three weeks. The food and living conditions are one thing, but to swim in bacteria-infested water is ridiculous. Instead of taking responsibility or finding alternative solutions, Hidalgo dodged the fact that this is a serious health issue for dozens of athletes who require much more care and hospitality than they were given.
Another notable situation arose when Algerian boxer Imane Khelif took on Italian boxer Angela Carini in the preliminaries. The match lasted 46 seconds after Carini forfeited the match. Carini later revealed that she had never been hit with such a powerful punch. Discourse started to spread everywhere on platforms like X, Instagram, and Facebook. Some of the most influential people on these platforms, like Logan Paul, J.K. Rowling, and Elon Musk, accused Khelif of being a biological male, spouting hateful comments regarding her physical features, while others demanded sex testing. This is a common argument that is made when a female athlete naturally has higher testosterone levels than other competitors or is just able to compete at high levels in physical pursuits. Female athletes with higher testosterone levels are scrutinized by the media and pressured into providing proof that they were born female. Even then, people still refuse to believe the proof they are demanding.
Even with all of these virtual attacks on her identity, Khelif proved everyone wrong and became the first Algerian boxer to participate in the Olympics and win a gold medal. Khelif will now proceed with filing harassment complaints against those who wrongfully accused her of being a man participating in a women’s sport. Algeria is a conservative country, and homosexuality is prohibited by law and can lead to imprisonment. Regardless of Khelif’s gender or sexual identity, thousands of people took to social media and actively put her life in danger. These accusations were made without regard for her safety when she returned home; not to mention the amount of racist, misogynistic, and transphobic rhetoric that was spread around because of this cyber attack. What was supposed to be a historical moment for Khelif turned into the destruction of her character with nothing but false rumors circulating in the media. I wish Khelif nothing but love and safety, and I can only hope that she is recognized as what she is: An Olympic champion.
This is just the surface of the issues that occurred in Paris. A multitude of other issues hindered the success of athletes and occasionally put them in harm's way during their time in Paris. Sha’Carri Richardson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce were denied entry at the warm-up area, leaving Fraser-Pryce to withdraw from the semi-final due to an injury, which lack of proper preparation can contribute to. Jordan Chiles was also stripped of her bronze medal by the International Olympic Committee. Weeks after being stripped of her bronze medal, Chiles is still contesting this decision in a Swiss court to reclaim her Olympic medal. Maniza Talash, from the Olympic Refugee team, was disqualified from the Olympic breakdancing competition after wearing a cape that said “Free Afghan Women” during her pre-qualifier battle.
The Olympics had great moments, but it is impossible to undermine the moments that upset athletes and viewers with how the many situations were handled. In 2028, we need to do better for these athletes who sacrifice so much of themselves for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.