The Goose Games, an unprecedented Olympic flop –

Christian Campigli

August 5, 2024

They should have been the Games of the beatification of a president as arrogant as he was far from the reality of his country: Emmanuel Macron. They turned out to be the worst Follimpiads in history, accompanied by fierce criticism, positions, even of a religious nature, and athletes deeply dissatisfied with shameful referees and an organization at a bare minimum. The Paris Olympics are, at least up to this point, a real boomerang for Macron and his immoderate desire to throw the (hypothetical) French grandeur in the world’s face. The examples of sensational flops and Fantozzian gaffes are truly endless. Let’s try to make a brief summary. It is impossible not to start with the opening ceremony. The Drag Queen version of the Last Supper, the immortal work of Leonardo Da Vinci, has literally nauseated the Catholic universe. The protests were endless, starting with the political ones (Matteo Salvini first and foremost), without underestimating the thousand comments, even on social media, of ordinary people, who wondered why the same sarcasm had never been used against Islam. A demonstration that sparked a heated exchange between the French Episcopal Conference and the French Prime Minister. The religious deplored the “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity. Let us think of all the Christians on all continents who have been hurt by the excess and provocation of certain scenes”. Pride and the conviction of living in the “most beautiful country in the world” were instead expressed by Gabriel Attal. “Freedom leads the people”. After the first few days of silence, the Vatican also intervened. The Holy See “cannot help but join the voices that have been raised in recent days deploring the offense made to so many Christians and believers of other religions. In a prestigious event where the entire world gathers around common values, there should be no allusions that ridicule the religious beliefs of many people. Freedom of expression, which, obviously, is not questioned, finds its limit in respect for others”. Already in this way, these Olympics would have been a resounding embarrassment. In reality, the woke kermesse was only the demonstration that a good day, even in Paris, can always be seen from the morning.

And so the world discovered that intersex athletes exist. Born a woman, but with a chromosomal profile, a testosterone level, muscle and bone density closer to that of a man. Angela Carini, after forty-six seconds, decided to interrupt the farcical match against the hyper-androgynous Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. Then, after the judges validated her choice with the official verdict, the Italian knelt in the ring and cried. “I really hurt myself, I decided without thinking twice. I thought about my family. My parents didn’t deserve to see certain things. I got into the ring for my father, last Olympics my father was dying, this was my Olympics and I wanted to run the last kilometer – added the Italian champion -. If I stopped I did it only for my family”. A story on which many have intervened. On one side, the Italian left, which tried to defend a decision, that of the Olympic Committee, which goes against scientific evidence and the most banal common sense. Among the conservatives, Donald Trump should also be mentioned, who spoke about the encounter of our athlete during one of his speeches in Atlanta. “An Italian champion fought in the ring with a person who has made the transition, a good male boxer. He hit her twice so hard that she didn’t know what was happening,” said the former president, referring to Imane Khelif. “With me, men will not participate in women’s sports. What is happening at the Paris Olympics will also happen here with Kamala Harris,” Trump emphasized, recalling how, when he was president, the United States won the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

And what about Thomas Ceccon, who fell asleep in a park. The Italian swimmer has complained several times about the heat in the Olympic village accommodations, where there is no air conditioning. Not even if it were the most run-down of hostels. Even Gregorio Paltrinieri, after qualifying for the 1500 freestyle final, said he had slept little due to the lack of air conditioning in the rooms, calling the village “the worst I’ve ever experienced” and that the “athletes are not protected”. Not to mention the surreal cardboard beds (the center of much mockery on social media) and an Olympic village too far from the stadiums. Even in terms of food, the Paris Games were simply laughable. Mini portions, completely unsuitable for athletes of such a high level: three miserable meat ravioli per meal that would not have fed even a ninety-year-old. Terrible organization, which revealed all its mediocrity in the shot put competition. A contest ruined by the rain and by the fact that no one among the organizers thought to try to limit the damage of the water and dry the platform. An oversight that cost the favorite Leonardo Fabbri his medal. But the photograph that best represents these Olympics is undoubtedly the one that portrayed Tyler Mislawchuk, the triathlete who, at the end of the trials in the Seine, immediately threw himself to the ground and began vomiting profusely. Yesterday, the Belgian triathlete Claire Michel was hospitalized for escherichia coli, after swimming in the Parisian river. Clearly polluted. In this scenario, the choice of the then mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi, is even more infuriating. She said no to the Games in the Italian capital. “It would be irresponsible. Let’s say no to the Olympics of bricks”, the grillina sentenced in 2016. Words that, eight years later, hurt even more.