So what if our team arrived at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics wearing a ceremonial kit? Our wedding ceremonies are far more grand than the one held earlier this week in France. As we say in Delhi, “the atmosphere is better here”.
On a serious note, this shameful state of Team India’s attire will remain the defining moment of the country’s most important sporting event in four years. Of course, the glitter of the medals doesn’t let us forget how we have let our athletes down time and again. While shooter Manu Bhaker is being congratulated for her bronze medal, Deepika Kumari has been villainised online as India’s archery team lost 0-6 to the Netherlands.
What the Olympics represent
The modern Olympics have always been important, not just because of what they offer for a few weeks, but also because of what they represent before and after the opening and closing ceremonies. They are closely scrutinised, over-analysed, politicised and sometimes even made into a totem. The terrorist threats that emerge around each edition of the Games underscore their geopolitical importance. Like their ancient version, the modern Olympics are burdened with the task of building bridges between countries and cultures. They are a celebration of the indomitable spirit of humanity that continues to burn even when countries and cultures stand on the brink of destruction. So, the loudest cheers are reserved for the contingents that march under refugee flags every four years.
The Olympics have served as an antidote to conflict and confrontation since ancient times. The Greeks loved to fight. But they also put their war business on hold for the games. Even in the midst of the horrors of the Trojan War The IliadAchilles held funeral games in memory of Patroclus. Many observers of the Games, both ancient and modern, believe that the Olympics are only about winning. Certainly, the hymns of glory reserved for victorious athletes in Homer’s epics and Pindar’s other classical texts may foster this idea. Nothing could be further from the truth. The spirit of the Games, especially the Olympics, was far higher than the podium.
A question of honour
The desire for honor in ancient Greek culture, PhilotimiaAnd the desire for victories, PhiloniciaThe parallel runs. Heroes are heroes because whether they win, or lose, their honor remains intact. Agamemnon, a great warrior, is no hero and meets a very inhumane end by being killed in the bathtub in his home upon returning as victor from the Trojan War. Achilles, if there were no funeral games, would not have emerged as a hero The Iliad. Her anger and vengeance are tempered once she is immersed in the grandeur surrounding honorable competition. The Greeks did not have much respect for men – there were no women in sports, they were often the prize – who could not stand to see another man win. Phthonos – the tendency to deprive another person of goodness and happiness – was acknowledged but not celebrated.
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It should be noted that the rules of honor only apply to mortals. Gods and goddesses can lie, cheat, quarrel, and be vile at will. Only those who can aspire to heroism can die; only they had to make the choice. Antilochus ruthlessly spurs his horses when competing against Menelaus, a less-than-ideal choice. His zeal for victory should not be a burden to his animals. He loses. Even though he won, Antilochus must swear that he did not resort to unfair means.
The modern Olympics aim to carry forward this legacy of respectability. And it is not confined to the competition venues. It is now the norm to use the Olympic stage to make a political statement. The Algerian contingent’s throwing of red roses into the Seine River near the site of a protest against the killing of 300 Algerians in 1961 following a French police crackdown is a powerful gesture to remember the victims of colonialism. Being respectable and successful rarely go hand in hand anymore.
Indian athletes are already winners
As for the Indian contingent, their success lies in their presence at the Olympics. They are an example of dignity and humility. Racing against time, overcoming endless systemic, social and logistical hurdles, if they are able to wear their country’s colours – no matter how aesthetically pleasing – with pride and dignity on that ship sailing down the Seine, they are winners even before they compete. The story of India’s neglect of its athletes is often told.
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This should make us question: what should a win at the Olympics mean to Indians, other than instant photo ops? And what about the promised infrastructural and systemic reforms that will allow Indian children to think of sports as a real option? Why do we, the people, expect any glory and honour from our athletes at the Olympics, when we don’t lift their spirits with respectful conduct on our part? We are the quickest to throw them under the bus for their inability to handle the moment of limelight that follows any sporting victory.
What kind of forgiveness can there be after such knowledge?
(Nishtha Gautam is a Delhi-based writer and academician.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal views of the author
