Editorial: Quest for Olympic ideals continues as world reflects on Paris Games

The Paris Olympics concluded after 17 days of intense competition that saw the significance of the Games as a festival of peace being brought into question, overshadowed by global divisions and conflict.

Contrary to the glamor of Paris as the “city of flowers,” war continues in the Middle East and Ukraine. The United Nations General Assembly’s resolution for an “Olympic Truce” was not realized; instead, the situation has only worsened.

Right before the opening of the Olympics, there were clashes in Paris between demonstrators expressing solidarity with Palestine and those backing Israel. Death threats were emailed to Israeli athletes themselves, and security was tightened. Officials were wary of a repeat of the kind of terrorist attack that disrupted the Munich Olympics in 1972.

Russia, continuing its attacks on Ukraine, and ally Belarus were banned from participating as nations. However, athletes who met certain conditions, such as not actively supporting Russia’s aggression, were given berths as Individual Neutral Athletes. International human rights groups, however, voiced criticism that more than half of them did not meet the criteria for neutrality.

Streams of social media slander

The advancement of digitalization has exposed the seriousness of slander through social media, and there were conspicuous cases where athletes found themselves mentally cornered by such abuse.

After losing her bout, Japanese judoka Uta Abe, who competed in the women’s 52-kilogram division, sobbed loudly in front of spectators. After this she was targeted with heartless comments, as were the Japanese men’s volleyball team members after they missed out on a medal. This prompted the Japanese Olympic Committee to issue a statement warning that it would “consider reporting insults, threats and other excessive content to the police and taking legal action.”

Regardless of the results, athletes who have worked hard to reach the Olympic stage deserve respect, and online posts that deny their integrity are unacceptable.

Meanwhile, some athletes embodied the Olympic spirit by cultivating friendship and solidarity through sport.

In the men’s 60-kg judo competition, Japan’s Ryuju Nagayama was choked by his Spanish opponent. The referee had called “mate” to halt the bout, but his opponent, Francisco Garrigos, continued the chokehold and Nagayama was judged to have passed out and lost by ippon. Nagayama was initially bitter about the incident, but several days later he received a direct apology from Garrigos.

Afterward, Nagayama posted a message on social media along with a photo of the two of them together, stating, “I’m glad I was able to go up against him on the Olympic stage with all that I had. No matter what anyone says, we are a judo family!”

As the term “judo family” illustrates, there is a sense of camaraderie among athletes from different countries.

In the men’s gymnastics competition, Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto, who performed successfully on the horizontal bar, gestured to the cheering crowd to quieten down out of consideration for the Chinese athlete following him. His actions drew attention and were praised as an example of true sportsmanship.

Meanwhile, in women’s boxing, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed the participation of an athlete who had been disqualified from last year’s world championships for failing a gender test. Her Italian opponent pulled out of their fight, citing safety concerns, and this sparked international controversy over competition safety, but the Italian boxer who withdrew said graciously of her opponent, “If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”

The importance of mutual acceptance

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, lifetime honorary president of the IOC, who is known as the father of the modern Olympic Games, gave an address over the radio in 1935 espousing the role of the Games in building peace. His message came just two years before he passed away.

Coubertin said that to pay respect it was first necessary to know one’s opponent. Stressing the importance of mutual understanding, he stated that this alone was the real foundation of true peace.

The beauty of sport is that it transcends borders and language barriers to form connections through common rules. The spirit of fair play, where athletes recognize each other, is a pillar of the Olympics’ ideals.

The heated competition among athletes gathered from around the world inspires people and raises hopes for peace. This is the goal of the Olympic Movement.

Tensions are growing across the world. And that is precisely why we must continue to pursue the Games’ ideals and convey them to the international community.