In Japan, around the world, and in our country, many people said the Olympics should not happen. Thank goodness the naysayers were ignored, and the games went ahead, a socially-distanced sporting spectacle that showcased some of the best of human endeavour and demonstrated that life can and must go on, virus or not.
Sure, the masks were overdone, covering the smiles of athletes as they were awarded medals that will reshape their lives, and the crowds were missing in the main – although it was terrific to see some people lining the streets for the marathons. But overall, the efforts to ensure this was not a “superspreader” event inflicting additional pain on Japan were worthwhile and effective.
A couple of hundred athletes and officials tested positive and had their Olympic dreams ruined. That was unavoidable.
Back in Australia, with more than half the country in lockdown, we have every reason to be grateful to Japan and, especially, to our own Olympians for giving us a fortnight of entertainment, escapism and inspiration. Not since Sydney has this nation been so honoured by the performance and conduct of our athletes.
The medal haul speaks for itself, and our sports reporters and commentators will put all of that into perspective for readers elsewhere. But what about the character displayed by our men and women, the sportsmanship? Has this not been a return to the face of Australian sport we all want to see, valiant in defeat and humble in victory?
My youngest boys were 4 and 3 during the Rio games, too young to really comprehend. But sports mad as any kids their age, they had been schooled in the legends of Usain Bolt, Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman, and we were set for Tokyo a year ago, ready to embrace and enjoy the Olympic spirit.
Covid not only delayed the experience, and changed the games, but it meant my boys and I have been stuck in different states, sharing the experience over Facetime rather than on the couch together. Still, I could not be happier for my children, nor more grateful to our athletes, for the lessons that have been imparted.
My children, like so many other girls and boys in this country, have experienced a lot of disappointment and confusion in their formative years; and I am not talking about results. In our house we have had endless conversations about cricket and sandpaper, why Steve Smith and David Warner are great, what they did wrong and how they can redeem themselves.
We have had to discuss why Adam Goodes was missing games for the Swans when he had suffered no injury, well, no physical injury. There have been questions about drugs in footy, swimming and cycling.
We like to teach tennis as the game of Ken Rosewall, Evonne Goolagong and Roger Federer but the kids kept seeing the entitlement and tantrums of Nick Kyrgios and others. In fact, when it comes to the Olympics, why not start with the tennis, where Wimbledon champion Ash Barty would have been disappointed in being bundled out of the singles but buttered up in the mixed doubles with John Peers.
The pair were gifted a Bronze when Novak Djokovic spat the dummy after his singles defeat, denying Serbia and compatriot Nina Stojanovic a shot at a medal. Barty and Peers were humble and happy, rewarded for valuing the sport and the contest – the Olympic ideal.
Australian kids learned a good lesson; Serbian children, not so much.
What about Kaylee McKeown who, after winning her second gold medal in the 200 metre backstroke, brought teammate and bronze medallist Emily Seebohm onto the gold medal stand, to share the pinnacle for our national anthem. It would have jarred with the Japanese, so keen on formality, but the mateship and disdain for convention was as Australian as it was generous.
A beautiful moment for Australia🇦🇺
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) July 31, 2021
Kaylee McKeown invited teammate Emily Seebohm to share the top step of the podium with her during the playing of their national anthem. #UnitedByEmotion | #StrongerTogether | #Olympicspic.twitter.com/olJ0lPHBnj
Respect 👊
— 7Olympics (@7olympics) July 31, 2021
🥇 Kaylee McKeown
🥉 Emily Seebohm#7Olympics | #Tokyo2020 | #Swimmingpic.twitter.com/5rNHFdVZjn
My boys also saw tremendous energy, sportsmanship and determination from the men’s and women’s teams in soccer, hockey and basketball, where terrific wins and heartbreaking defeats were accepted in equally impressive demeanour, and where just the thrill of competition at the highest level and the regard for a medal of any colour was palpable. To watch former Boomer’s captain Andrew Gaze speak on Channel 7 about what it meant to see Patty Mills and his team deliver the bronze medal was, pardon the pun, to gaze deep inside the heart of a true sportsman.
🗣 "It's all about getting on that podium and showing the friendship and love. Making sure you do the right thing by the game and the nation and the pride that comes with pulling on a green and gold jersey."@AndrewGaze10 captures the mood of a nation ðŸ˜#Tokyo2020 | #7Olympicspic.twitter.com/rREgY9w7ky
— 7Olympics (@7olympics) August 7, 2021
The wait is over.
— 7Olympics (@7olympics) August 7, 2021
The Boomers have a medal in their hands 🇦🇺ðŸ˜#Tokyo2020 | #7Olympicspic.twitter.com/gkNpV3kvex
Mills and Sam Kerr for the Matildas stood out at every step, and at every interview, as global superstars who are richly rewarded in their chosen sports but who wanted victory in their national colours above all else. Brilliant and inspirational in skill and determination in the right manner for the right reasons.
The young sportspeople of Australia can only benefit from watching these contests and hearing how they are interpreted. They saw Jessica Hull and Linden Hall, who had swapped national records during the meet, celebrate together on the track after their 1500 metres final – both out of the medals but both exuberant at their own and each other’s Olympic performances.
In similar vein, Ashley Moloney scored a bronze medal in the prestigious decathlon, his ecstasy shared by teammate Cedric Dubler who spent every bit of energy he could on the last lap of the 1500 metres, urging his mate on to finish strong and in the medals. They did it.
"I crossed the line, I saw I got a PB and I thought oh s***, we're on!" 😂
— 7Olympics (@7olympics) August 5, 2021
Ash Moloney and @CedricDubler join @JaseRicho for a chat after Ash secured bronze in the men's decathlon 🇦🇺🥉#Tokyo2020 | #7Olympicspic.twitter.com/PwMH3QLQXV
The joy and sense of achievement from Kelsey Lee-Barber’s javelin bronze, Nicola McDermott’s silver in the high jump, Peter Bol’s fourth in the 800 metres, or even Rohan Browning’s win in his 100 metre sprint heat provided lessons in endeavour, and the achievement of making the grade at such an elite level that can be lost on nobody.
Many of the Australian athletes are already back in the country, accepting the trial of hotel quarantine. It seems a rude final hurdle for them, fully-vaccinated athletes who have spent weeks in an Olympic bubble being tested every day, now forced into a fortnight of isolation.
When they emerge, surely the nation will embrace them. Their excellence in performance was one thing – and to be sure, we love that – but their embodiment of the Olympic spirt and reinstatement of Australian sportsmanship is something that many of us, particularly as parents, truly appreciate.
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