Editorial: Time to look past the politicking and soak up the Olympic spirit

We look forward to getting swept up in the Olympic spirit, which, in Brisbane at least, has been battered by years of political bickering and ineptitude, writes the editor.

And just like that, it’s here. Three years after the Covid-19-delayed and curtailed Tokyo “2020” Olympics, we will now see how Paris can put its customary panache on the world’s greatest sporting event.

Already the backdrops – captured by The Courier-Mail’s photographers in the City of Lights – are spectacular. Trust the French to put a beach volleyball arena under the Eiffel Tower!

But as in the days and weeks before every Olympics, there have been concerns, with street crime and terror fears at the top of the list. The usually stylish and taciturn Parisienne gendarmerie are making their presence felt, and we hope their numbers (and automatic weapons) act as effective deterrents.

There is another concern, about the state of the River Seine, which will host long-distance swimming and the triathlon swimming legs.

Pardon our French, but it’s full of merde.

The Courier-Mail’s reporters Robert Craddock and Hayden Johnson tested water from the Seine this week against a Brisbane River test they did last week.

Their verdict? Swimming is safe at Kangaroo Point, but not under the Pont Neuf. The advice for Olympic swimmers from health experts: Don’t swallow the water.

Helpful.

Hopefully contingency plans are in place, but if experience counts for anything, once the Olympic cauldron is lit at the Jardin des Tuileries early tomorrow, all other issues will be quickly forgotten as we are swept up in the carnival of sport.

As the Olympics returns to the home of its modern founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin, this is a good opportunity to reflect on his philosophy: “The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle, the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”

The Olympic movement may have given in to professionalism, and patriotism can sometimes be swamped by nationalism, but the vast majority of athletes competing in Paris will at least be striving to live up to those ideals.

That is because most of our Olympians – as every Australian chosen for Paris can now call themselves for the rest of their lives – compete in sports that outside of the Games cycle receive very little attention. A handful of swimmers aside, they are not household names or millionaires like our footballers or cricketers.

But the runners, the throwers, the swimmers, the cyclists, the rowers, the sailors, the hockey players – heck, even the break dancers – all grew up in community sport, where the Baron’s ethos is ingrained. 

They may not treat Rudyard Kipling’s twin impostors of triumph and disaster the same, but they will accept a loss with grace and celebrate a win like Aussies.

Millions of Australians are about to cheer on Ariarne Titmus, Mollie O’Callaghan, Kyle Chalmers and the rest, either live through their overnight red eyes or on replay.

These athletes will provide unforgettable moments, but the greatest gold will come from some you have never heard of before – battlers who go from obscurity to the top step of the dais. We look forward to telling their stories.

We also look forward to getting swept up in the Olympic spirit, which, in Brisbane at least, has been battered by years of political bickering and ineptitude.

We need to be reminded what an honour it is to host these Games (and the Paralympics that follow), of what an opportunity it is, and that we would never forgive ourselves if we stuffed it up.

GOVT WILL SUFFER ON HEALTH

It is devastating for the government – and Health Minister Shannon Fentiman – that the chief of the state’s ambulance service has now publicly drawn a direct link between ambulance ramping issues and the reducing chances of Queenslanders surviving a heart attack.

There are now fewer than 100 days to go until the election. While Ms Fentiman has been successful in hosing down the controversies that swirled around the system during the time her predecessor Yvette D’Ath was in charge, health is always in the top few issues for any state campaign. And it will be again.

A YouGov opinion poll for The Courier-Mail last year found nearly half of Queenslanders were not confident an ambulance would reach them in time if they were having a heart attack.

Now Queensland Ambulance Service chief Craig Emery has agreed there is a link between the overall survivability rate falling to a 10-year low and it taking longer for paramedics to attend – that it is, in other words, no coincidence more people are dying of a heart attack as ambulances take longer to arrive.

Ms Fentiman says the latest health performance data shows “everything is heading in the right direction”. That’s fine. But unless these issues are fixed before people vote, they will have a real impact.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here