Okay, I’m going to say it without any shame.  I love watching the Summer Olympics and for the next couple of weeks I will likely spend countless hours watching swimming, gymnastics, track and field, beach volleyball, women’s soccer and more. Just about everything but men’s basketball and golf which I have little interest in.

The opening ceremonies of the Rio Olympics are Friday night but the competition has already begun as the three-time defending Olympic champion U.S. women’s soccer team opened its schedule with a 2-0 win over New Zealand Wednesday.  Four-time Olympian and Shore native Christie Rampone is not playing, having decided in May she was not healthy enough to compete.

Back to my love of the Olympics. Despite the fact the games themselves are filled with enough wrongdoings to question why they even still exist.  The International Olympic Committee is a corrupt organization which operates like a dictator, ruling over not only athletes but the countries that mistakenly think hosting the games is a worthwhile endeavor.  You only have to look at what’s happened in Rio as well as other recent locations to know that for many the negative far outweighs the positive.

Cities and countries spend billions of dollars on lavish facilities while at the same time destroying the lives of many of their own residents whose villages and homes are knocked down forcing them to re-locate.  Instead of funding education and health care they are helping line the pockets of the IOC.  It is rather revolting.

However tomorrow night when you and I are watching swimmer Michael Phelps carry the American flag during the opening ceremonies that will not be on our minds.  We will likely ooh and ah at what we see and not give much thought to the fact raw sewerage is flowing right into the same body of water that will host the sailing and long-distance swimming events.

When the cauldron is lit in what is always a special moment we will likely forget about things like the Zika Virus, security concerns and the fact Brazil is facing its greatest recession in 100 years. Let the games begin!

 

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