Politics and the Olympic Games
When politics muddles sport, nobody wins.
When we hear the Olympic theme throughout the Olympic fortnight, we think about the dedication, perseverance, and hard work it took to reach the pinnacle of one’s sport. These athletes have trained almost every day for most of their lives for the chance to get the highest pinnacle of their chosen sport.
However, in some instances, the Olympic competition has been clouded by politics — many of which have negatively affected the performance of the athletes.
At the recent Paris 2024 Olympics, U.S. gymnast, Jordan Chiles was stripped of the bronze medal she won in the floor exercise. It’s important to emphasize that this decision was not made based on what Jordan did. After her performance, it became clear to the U.S. coaches that Jordan was not given credit for completing one of her skills.
Her team filed an inquiry, and the score was adjusted moving her into the bronze medal position. Unfortunately, the Romanian gymnast was then placed in the fourth position.
The medal ceremony was held.
Coincidentally, it was the first time in gymnastics that all three medalists were black. The two American gymnasts bowed down to the Brazilian gold medalist on the medal platform. (In a rare instance, all three…
