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Martin Devlin: Common sense prevails - Olympics are postponed

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Wed, 25 Mar 2020, 2:44PM

Martin Devlin: Common sense prevails - Olympics are postponed

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Wed, 25 Mar 2020, 2:44PM

It's finally happened and happened ONLY because it had to. 

The Olympics are off 'til who knows when, most likely a year or so if things ever return to normal, only who even knows what that new "normal" might be.

The IOC, the last hold-out for international sport, were doing a fine impression of the dithering doddering bunch of incompetents they continually appear to be - but even their desperate attempts at playing the human ostrich ran out of oxygen, and phew, common sense has finally  prevailed.

When the AFL then A-League then NRL all fell like dominoes on Monday it was surely just a matter of time. Surely?

Well, not so fast. Despite Canada and Australia declaring they wouldn't participate at Tokyo, despite suffocating global restrictions on travel and inter-personal contact, despite the fact that none of the actual participants, not administrators we must note here but actual athletes themselves, are able to continue any kind of regular or meaningful elite-type training, the IOC as late as yesterday were maintaining their everything still on, business as usual stance.

The decision to sack/fire/exterminate the fat-cat fish-head careers of all these bludgers must come sooner rather than later. Honestly, here's your chance Olympic movement. Rid thyself of these morons and do it because it simply needs to be done. The IOC, alongside FIFA, have long been known as the royalty of world sports administration.

The moment you confirm your comfy position on that gravy train the privilege starts pouring like rain. 7-star hotels, 1st-class airfares, not a single expense in the world, I've even watched up close and personal as motorway lanes are closed in rush-hour just so their personal stretch limos have unfettered access between wherever it was they'd deemed to drive.

It's actually nauseating to watch. And for way too long not nearly enough people in position to out this excess have been prepared to speak. Why not? Mostly I suspect because the moment you do then you also lose any future claim to becoming part of this elite yourself. Humans, yes us, are a selfish species alright and it's never better demonstrated than watching these grubs go at it.

When you are treated like royalty, live like royalty, behave like royalty - any wonder then that while the whole sporting world did fret they were doing an administrative equivalent  of Marie Antoinette? 

Reading their press release just 48 hours ago where they declared 4 weeks of exec-comm talks" promising "detailed discussions on the world health situation" while still maintaining "cancellation is not on the agenda" has to be the  final straw. "It's all about the athletes" they said. Well that'd be a first then!

When was the last time this law-unto-themselves ego-rampant organisation and it's over-commercialised money-grubbing event been about anything but largesse and corporate wealth plundering?

Faster Higher Stronger might still be the official Olympic motto but long is the time since when it used to mean athletic achievement and not naked greed and personal gain.

Anyway, it's something all those involved need to seriously consider from now 'til the next Games does eventually kick-off. How about using this enforced absence to seriously restructure everything to do with this flawed and failing governing body.

Because in the meantime what else can anyone do? Except wait...and isolate.

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