What happened to the Olympics?

Anyone who has been paying attention to the news has seen that the Paris Olympics (July 26–Aug. 11) has been embroiled in multiple controversies.

First, there was the Opening Ceremony which featured a drag queen dinner tableau which some said was intended mockery of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Last Supper” painting, while others argued was merely a reference to the festival of Bacchanalia honoring the Greek god Dionysus (Roman god Bacchus). The ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, denied having been inspired by the “Last Supper,” although I can’t imagine he would openly admit to mocking Christianity, a faith shared by 32% of the world’s population.

However, as Pastor Andy Lauer of South Bend First Church of the Nazarene wrote in post on Facebook, whatever way it was intended, either way the result was evil.

“Was it a celebratory Dionysian bacchanal (a festival to the evil spirit behind Dionysus complete with drunkenness, orgies, and ecstatic revelry), or a mockery of the Last Supper--a counterfeit, complete with gender-swapping, of the final meal Jesus shared with His disciples…? I believe it was actually both. Indeed, one of the rituals of Dionysian bacchanalia included the literal tearing apart by hand of a bull (called ‘sparagmos’) and consuming its raw flesh (called ‘omaphagia’). Whether the human ‘artists’ of the Olympic display knew and intended it this way, the evil spirits behind it most certainly knew and meant this as a sick perversion of the Lord’s Supper,” he wrote.

The ceremony also included what looked like a golden calf idol and a pale horseman of the apocalypse.

Even setting the symbolism aside for a moment, we should be able to agree the whole thing was just not appropriate for public viewing, whether it was the provocative dancing by a nearly naked person or a drag queen crawling down the runway. So there is that.

Then there is the ongoing controversy regarding Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who won over Italian Angela Carini in women’s boxing at the Olympics. Carini was forced to withdraw from the match less than a minute in because she had a strong pain in her nose and didn’t think she could continue. She said she had never been hit like that before.

Khelif was disqualified from the Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi, India, last year after being tested by the International Boxing Association (IBA) and found to have XY chromosomes, which would make Khelif a male. Lin Yu‐ting of Taiwan was also banned by the IBA. Khelif and Yu-ting were given the opportunity to appeal the IBA’s decision, but chose not to. It seems telling that Khelif refused to answer questions about undergoing tests to compete, other than about doping.

There has been discussion about whether Khelif or Yu-ting have some sort of differences in sex development (DSD), which is a term meaning a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs, including genitals. However, to that point, a post on X by Carole Hooven, former Harvard professor who earned her Ph.D. studying sex differences and testosterone, is helpful.

Hooven wrote, “When male athletes have DSDs that give them an advantage over females, and they compete in the female category, this raises concerns about safety and fairness, and forces discussion of the relevant physical traits. Athletes with XY DSDs who have testes (usually internal), XY sex chromosomes, male-typical levels of testosterone, and functional androgen receptors are often described as females with 'hyperandrogenism,' i.e., abnormally high levels of testosterone. They experience physical benefits of this high testosterone during puberty, which translate into athletic advantages over females. The issue for sports is that athletes with the XY DSD 5-alpha reductase deficiency (5-ARD), may be socialized as female, may be legally female, and may live and identify as female; but they are male.”

So even though their passports may state “female,” which is what the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says it bases its decision on, biologically these individuals may still be male and thus have inevitable physical advantages over a female. If indeed the IBA test results are accurate and Khelif and Yu-ting have XY chromosomes, they should not be allowed to compete in the women’s division. As a society, we should care about fairness, the truth and making sure women have equal opportunities. Men can’t be allowed to compete in women’s sports or the phenomenon will eventually show up in more and more sports and rob women of opportunities.

Then there is the issue of the River Seine being used for triathlon events and athletes being expected to compete in water of questionable quality, with it historically having high levels of E. coli bacteria. Swiss triathlete Adrien Brifford fell ill with a stomach infection three days after competing in the river, although of course it’s impossible to say what for sure caused the sickness.

I also saw the clip of Team USA members Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bowing down to Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who won gold in the women’s floor exercise. Biles and Chiles took second and third, respectively. I fully support the idea of sportsmanship and congratulating your fellow competitors, but was uncomfortable with the bowing gesture, almost in mock worship to Andrade. It just didn’t sit well with me.

––– So anyway, there have been a number of issues with these Olympics that have just turned people off to the whole thing, myself included. It’s sad because the Olympics used to be a way of uniting people across the globe, but not so much anymore.

Also, it’s important to bear in mind that there are a lot of athletes who are just there to try their best on the world stage. They don’t have control over what the IOC is promoting and don’t necessarily agree with it. Still, it is sad to see the whole thing go in the direction it has. The Opening Ceremony especially illustrates that we need to be careful consumers and be aware of what content we are taking in.

Stay sane as our society continues to take a ride on the crazy train.