Olympica

By Cyreen Audel

Seven unusual, distinctive, sometimes passionate stories appearing unrelated will give you a new perspective of the modern Olympics. From the views of the athletes, the spectators, the reporters, the coaches, or the administratorsdiscover what the Olympics could be in the future. Dare to jump into a new life with novel perspectives and hopes, or lack thereof. Will our lives be so different? Will our goals and ambitions be altered? What will we live for? What will be driving us? Is the Olympics then of any value, protecting us from complacency, boredom? Or does it prevent us from moving to a higher consciousness level and to progress further? These are all questions that we dare not ask ourselves today. But the time might come. Through these short fictional stories, you will be challenging your mind for an answer. Is there a purpose for the Olympics today and in the future? Maybe! But is there also an answer to the purpose of life in the near future when (we hope) current conflicts, social differences will somewhat disappear, and when new technologies will truly help us live better lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 15, 2009
• ISBN: 9781465317476

Cyreen Audel

Former international athlete, Cyreen Audel had a first love for robotics and artificial intelligence. The author moved astray toward other aspects of the business life, from banking to consulting to entrepreneurship and to the corporate world. Sequentially resident of various countries, the author has forged a deep concern and understanding of cultural differences, but kept his love for sciences which can be either the hope or the demise of our societies. The author has observed through the world the cultural application of sciences to better our world and forged a hopeful perspective, especially in the learning and communication applications. The author keeps being involved in competitive sports and witnesses the growth, the failures, and the benefits. The love-hate relationship with modern Olympics was certainly a driving force for the completion of this book.

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Copyright © 2008 by Cyreen Audel.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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Contents

Introduction

A Brave New Start

For a Glorified End

The Decision

The Report

The Site Selection

The Spectator

A New End or an Old Start?

Introduction.jpg

Introduction

Citius, Altius, Fortius, these few words are attributed to Pierre de Coubertin, a visionary little man, who significantly changed the perspective of the world on major social events. Over a century ago, most likely out of romantic inspiration combined with nostalgia over antic morals, this little man probably never realized where he was leading us. The creation of the Olympic movement, from his own strength against tremendous contrary forces, is arguably the most significant and persistent change in our society. In the short century of what we would call our modern history, no other movement remained more or less in its original concept overtime. No social movement, political order, dictatorship, democracy survived the Olympics.

Like it or not, the Olympics has become the largest social gathering in the world. It involves more countries than any other assembly and sustains more passion in more people than any other event It draws the largest single investment to organize and run the games. It leads to the largest media coverage. It focuses the attention of the largest world population of any other subject, and that for a period covering four weeks. In between the four-year Olympiad, passions are still sustained as the selection of the future site is becoming another competition among nations.

Yes, indeed, the Olympics is something that cannot be ignored.

Does it deserve such attention? Views differ greatly. Many are totally uninterested and could care little about the sports. Some only hear about the sports every four years. Some are attracted by the social impact and the mere size of the event. And some, of course, are passionate about the sportive dimension of the Olympics, the ultimate peak of every sport. No matter which category we belong to, we are all affected by the Olympics.

Did this little aristocratic Frenchman, possibly inspired by the Greek antiquity, expect such success? It is difficult to tell. From his first visit to the remote college of Rugby, to his describing of his concept decried and ridiculed by most, to his first convincing argument at the Sorbonne in 1894, the little man went a long way.

Did he get what he expected? Most likely not. No truce on wars and conflicts during the Olympics. The ancient Greeks did not do any better in that respect either. Pierre de Coubertin’s view of the modern Olympics was to promote health to the much too sedentary aristocrats. He wanted rich aristocrats, hence nonprofessionals (understand by this those who do not need to work), to engage in sporting competitions to become more active and healthy. It was not intended for either women or professionals, i.e., the workers. It was to be an aristocratic global event. Well, the movement, after a slow start, did force Pierre de Coubertin to change his mind and direction. He became the slave of his success. Women quickly joined the movement, in short burst at first. Workers, hence the whole population, integrated the games. Of course, Pierre de Coubertin cannot be held responsible for national differences, nor social discrepancies, and availability of leisure time. Nevertheless, the Olympic movement slowly and surely gained momentum and evolved along with improvements in our lifestyle.

The Olympics did survive the World Wars and all other conflicts around the world. At the time of his death in 1937, Pierre de Coubertin could be extremely proud of what he had accomplished. He most likely felt that the Berlin Olympics of Hitler were the apogee of his movement as it was such an immense event with perfect organization. It is easy to criticize Pierre de Coubertin for that, but we only do this in hindsight. In 1936, everyone applauded the Berlin Olympics. The crimes of the National Socialist movements in Germany and in other countries were not really known or understood. The Nazis did use the Olympics to promote their ideas and, unfortunately, did a good job of it. It is a lesson’s learned of the danger of popular events. But the vision of Pierre de Coubertin even subsisted this.

The idea of Pierre de Coubertin survived and is still surviving similar dangerous influences. Nationalism continued after the Nazis; the United States, the former Soviet Union, and many other nations used the Olympics as a means of propaganda or to show the success of their regime. Professionalism was and still is a difficult theme to deal with. It is in fact counter to the Olympic ideal and certainly does not lead to fair competition. This leads to commercialization, a side effect of success, and a vicious cycle from which the Olympic movement cannot get out from. The more the success, the more attractive it is for promoters and moneymakers, and the more attraction for people to watch and to participate for a chance for richness and fame. Of course, as a result, cheating and doping become new issues to deal with.

Yes, that is success. Deserved success, necessary evil, or timed downfall.

Do you know? What is your opinion? One way to ask oneself that question is to extrapolate this to the future. If you wish to pursue this reading, I will lead you through some short fictional stories related to the various aspects of the Olympics. The background will be a vision of life maybe two hundred years from now. I will not expound on the structure of the future. Hopefully, you will discover a new world. Obviously, advances in artificial intelligence and related technologies are a given. I gave the necessary background when I thought it was needed, but hopefully you will have enough room to create your own world. My input comes from my knowledge of artificial intelligence and technologies, of sports (as a former international athlete), and of the Olympics from interest, literature, and involvement. My main input will be in the realm of education. Education is and will be the driving force of society and very much linked to its progress. The second input is more political and related to a new order, away from the nations and a return to regions. This seems necessary if one wants to review the potential impact of an Olympic movement. In addition, and it is a wishful thinking, of course, we must expect resolution of conflicts to take place as well as fairly stable social environment for work, transportation, entertainment, and a few outer-space development, although I expect that to be minimal but doable.

There for the background. Now, flow through the short stories. Hopefully, you will find them entertaining and somewhat romantic.

The first story takes place in the past in 1937 at the deathbed of Pierre de Coubertin—to set the proper background.

In the second, you will live and grow as a young person and athlete of the future. You will be able to see the positive and negative aspects of the athletes. The parallels to today’s world should be obvious.

In the third, I will take you to the heart of the future Olympic Committee faced with a major decision. This decision should put many perspectives and issues facing the Olympic organization today and in the future.

In the fourth, you can follow a reporter of the future. We are already in the age of communication, so what would be the task of a reporter at that time when everything, all information, is available to all? Well, find out and discover what trainers, coaches can or cannot do. This is a very interesting perspective on ethics and responsibilities.

In the fifth, you will have to follow two characters involved in the selection of a site for the next Olympic event. Today, the site selection is becoming big business. The money and influence involved are so great that corruption is bound to be an issue. Can we solve it? Well, find out on your own and decide.

In the sixth, you might see two sides of the Olympics conflicting. On the one side, the failures of the Olympics, and on the other, the big business. You might discover what life might be like for those who might not want to participate in the Olympic fever.

In the seventh and the conclusion, I am trying to put these stories together and might give you a surprising twist. The main goal is to put them all together to allow you to forge your own opinion.

Hopefully, you will finish the stories of this book with many questions and possibly an opinion.

I have an opinion myself on the subject, but it is not important. The important matter is to think about the possibilities. There might be two main topics to think of:

1.   Can one create an organization and a system permitting the continuation of an ideal, given the changing environment?

2.   Can the society keep evolving? And where would it find the proper motivation to do so?

So take off your traditional thinking hat, and let yourself flow through these stories! You might never enjoy the Olympics in the same way in the future.

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A Brave New Start

The day was as bright as it could be. The air was cold and crisp. The deep blue sky contrasted with the gleaming yellow of the sun, reflecting on the almost perfectly still Lake Geneva, adding to the brilliance of the day. Snow-covered peaks gave it the final postcard-perfect setting for the tranquil and serene city of Lausanne.

A stern-looking, simply but properly dressed woman opened the tall window over the glistening lake. It let the fresh air and the bright light penetrate the high-ceiling room, chasing the unbearably somber atmosphere inside it. Sitting solemnly on the bed, the man in the dark suit packed, gravely, his stethoscope in an equally dark case. He then put his hand on the shoulder of the little man lying in the bed, who looked at him in the eyes sternly then turned slowly to the lady at the window, shook his head a little, and lowered his eyes. The lady kept a rigid face and proceeded to adjust the curtains as the man with the dark suit and dark case slowly walked to the door, opened it, took a last look at the man, lowered his head, and left.

My friend, cheer up! Look outside, it is a perfect day. This should not be a sad moment. Life continues, and life certainly will not stop when mine terminates, said cheerfully a little old man in the middle of a bed, which was much too large for such a small person.

It will probably be my last, but what a more appropriate day to depart. The day is beautiful, and I have no regrets. No other man could wish for a more perfect moment. Death is the only certainty in this world. As it comes to me, I am proud of what I have accomplished. As Goethe said, ‘Man will not be judge for what he has done, but for what he has helped others accomplish.’ So let history judge me as it should. I will not know its verdict, but I leave with the greatest feeling that there are only few persons in our history who have done more for the humanity than I think I have. Even if the future proves otherwise, I will not be there to witness this. All I know is that I have tried my best, and could never have done any better. That, my friend, is true accomplishment. I have been privileged to have found you to accompany me in this adventure. Yes, I have put the seeds, and therefore I should be the first to go, but you will help me perpetuate this movement toward peace for humanity.

As his voice was slowly failing, the little main took a little pause to gather the little strength he had left before pursuing. "As we have discussed already a decade ago, I have realized that the main and central aim of my life would not be entirely finished at my death (Pierre de Coubertin (PdC)). We need to protect the idea we have recreated. I know that there always will be good persons to protect and promote such grand ideals. We have created a special centre for the World Olympic Movement, which will act as guardian and propagator of the principles of Olympic philosophy, while taking into account necessary adjustments for the development of ideas, and which will also act as a brake on all types of material greed which threaten to destroy its purity (PdC). That is good, and I am proud of this. This is our window to society, claiming our good intentions."

He took yet another break to catch some air. "But we agreed that there is a potential flaw in this movement. It might perpetuate an idea, which might become obsolete in a more modern society. Rigid disciples of following generations are usually the main reason for the death of a cause. By following too strictly the codes left by their ancestors, they often become misguided. I do not know how the environment will look like in a decade, in a century, in a millennium. Olympism might not need to exist, maybe it will be outdated, maybe it will need to be revived again, maybe it will need to be rejuvenated, and maybe it will be as it is today. But I will never be able to answer this. Our idea of Olympism is mutual respect. Tolerance is after all, only a form of indifference between people who do not know each other. Respect exists only between people who do know each other (PdC). I thought of using the Olympic Games to promote mutual respect. In a few generations, maybe we would have reached our goal, and everyone will live in perfect harmony. But what if they do not? What will it be like? I cannot have an answer. The only hope I have is that some dedicated, magnanimous, and impartial soul will be there."

The woman slowly left the window, approaching the bed. She came close enough to the man for him to extend his arm and grab her hand. A tear rolled on her otherwise stern face.

Come on, cheer up. This is my last pep talk, I swear, he said jokingly.

She smiled as she wiped the tear with her free hand.

I always could count on you for everything, even for listening to my tirades. I need this, one last time, to reassure myself. He squeezed her hand with the last sentence, feeling death approaching. He continued, nevertheless, absorbing a grin of pain.

"The Olympic movement must remain adaptive to its time. I have done my best to define it as it should fit today as people might accept it today in the year 1937. Already, it is greatly different of what it was at its start, of what it was when we thought of reviving it. Olympics has evolved. I have created a movement, which I can only partially control. In fact, the more it grows, the weaker the ability to control it at all. I believe that until the year 1937, I was able to influence the movement. I have told numerous times that I do not always agree with the development of the Olympics today. Professionalism, nationalism, commercialization were certainly not part of the ideal I had in mind in the beginning. I did not want any of that. I also admit I did not support woman in sport, but times have changed. My friend, remember the beginnings. Remember Athens. That was not exactly what I had wished for, but it was a start. Then Paris, drawn into the universal exhibition, few persons really noticed that the Olympics were there. In Saint Louis, it was the same problem but with additional parodies of sports—a shame to the ideals. I had great hope in London, but unfairness far from our ideals was almost indecent. I was relieved after Stockholm as I thought the Olympics had reached the proper momentum of peace and harmony. But then this terrible event in 1914 stopped us entirely. In the hope of bringing peace to the world through better communication and comprehension between peoples, we found ourselves in the midst of the most devastating of war. It took a lot of efforts in 1920 to start everything from the bottom. But it worked. Under these circumstances, Antwerp was the first real success although not highly competitive but highly emotional. After in Paris in ’24, and in Amsterdam, I knew that we had gained the interest of the world and that my concept had changed. The games were universal and included all creeds, sexes, and social levels. I must admit I had not anticipated this during my speech at the Sorbonne in 1896. But times changed, and I had to change and adapt. We had created something special, something new, something good. The last two games in Los Angeles and last year in Berlin scared me a little. I realized then that I do not have full control anymore. In Los Angeles, the games were a little isolated from the rest of the world or at least isolated from the Western world, whose support was crucial and who had shown such growing interest. I saw then how power and money could distract from the true goals. It did provide visibility, but diversion as well. Berlin was different but similar in a way. The new National Socialism used these games and its ideals for its own benefit. It was a great work, but a little scary at times. These are the growing pains of our child. Our child must make its own mistakes."

The little man in his large bed took a long pause. His eyes drifted through the window in the blue sky outside. It was difficult to tell if they expressed pain or sadness, or even pride. It was, however, clear that he could feel his end coming. The woman’s eyes became softer, tender at times. She added her second hand to support him and to give him courage to continue. She knew that he needed to continue to depart from this world, carrying all his dedication to the Olympics, which had been his life’s work. He took of few deep breaths to give himself the strength to continue.

Yes, the child has grown. I must let it grow. He paused again and had a grin of pain realizing that he had spoken too forcefully for the little strength he still had left. He tried to continue more calmly.

"My only regret is that I will not be present in the future to judge the real effect of this work on humanity. I will not be there in spirit or body. I always thought that if there is a transmigration of souls and through it, I was to find myself living again in a hundred years time, I might perhaps be working to destroy what I have sought to create in my present lifetime (PdC). You, my trusted friend, will still be there for a few more years. You have stayed in the dark all these years, giving me full trust and support. And now selfishly instead of attempting to share the glory with you, I demand another ultimate sacrifice."

Another strike of pain stopped him short. He grinned again. He waved back the woman who leaned forward to try to comfort him. The little man visibly tried to hurry to finish.

I just want to remind you again of this ultimate attempt to protect the spirit of the games. No one can be sure of the future, but I must try everything I can. This is the last thing I have asked of you, and I confirm it with my last breath.

The woman knew exactly the intent, and the plan was in place. She realized that these were the little man’s last wishes and he needed to enounce them one last time. The little man had really planned everything to make his dream continue. He knew that he would never have an ultimate plan to protect the games. He had realized that societies, people, ideas, and the world evolve too quickly to predict what the next direction will be. He had set the right structure for today and for the short future—possibly a hundred years maybe or more. His succession was set as well as it could have. The organization and the charter for the Olympics were there as well—as good, as rigid, as adaptive as possible. All of these last wishes were written toward this purpose. But he knew that men were men. Will there always be the right men available? The ones with the right will and spirit to drive and guide the Olympic Games through good and hard times? Of this, he could never be sure.

Dearest, I trusted you always. I know what I have asked you to do after my death seems foolish and crazy. I have always been torn between the spiritual and the scientific. My death being so close, I cannot be sure, and I must try on both fronts. Help me one last time.

He stopped there, raised his head a little in order to stare at her. She came closer, put her hand in the back of his neck to support him, and she nodded silently. Exhausted but satisfied, the little man let his head fall back on the large pillow. The hand felt colder as life was moving away from him. The woman was struggling to hold her tears and tried to smile as he had always asked her to. The little man managed to turn his head away from the eyes of the devoted woman not to challenge her any further. His eyes drifted to the large window. A swift of air lifted the curtains toward the outside to drift toward the deep blue sky of Lausanne, flirting with the seagulls and rippling the water.

A woman slowly pulled in the curtains, took a long look at the beautiful lake. She seemed to wait for the drift to dissipate completely. She then closed the large wooden blinds and slowly shut the window.

Mens fervida in corpore lacertoso (A fervent spirit in a disciplined body).

(Motto of the Olympic Institute of Lausanne proposed by Pierre de Coubertin as an epitaph for Theodore Roosevelt who was his friend 1919.)

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For a Glorified End

Nairod sits silently, impassive to the tumult outside the warm-up room. His combination suit covers him from head to toe, maintaining the programmed skin temperature. The swim lenses although virtually invisible make his pupils appear larger. With his immobile traits, he looks as if he was intensively staring at the wall. His mind, however, has flown years away from this room.

On the day of his sixth birthday, Nairod burst out of the Child Evaluation Center, almost knocking out the automated door too slow to open for an overexcited boy. He had lain for long hours naked in a glass container while lights of various colors zoomed back and forth endlessly. The soft voice had been constantly repeating the same command, Please do not move, please do not move. Occasionally, the slight pick in his spine and arms reminded him of the need to stay still. Although they did not hurt at all, these long needles were very scary. It had been hard, and it had lasted so long. How long, Nairod could not remember. Time for a child of that age had no real meaning yet. A complete immobility of a few minutes was tangent to infinity. But now, it was finally over, and he was proudly carrying the little chip in his hand. He jumped in his automated car waiting outside. Nairod had never sat so quietly and so straight. He did not even order the automated pilot to move right or left, brake or accelerate as he always did when he was driven alone. No, this time he was totally still, holding the precious gem in his little hand fixing it as if a blink of the eyes would release the chip, which would fly away on its own. Soon, he will sit in front of the screen with his parents. He would find out how he could look like when he would grow up, what he could become. Barely arrived, ignoring his parents, Nairod fed the chip himself into the slot on the bottom of the screen. After selecting vocally all the various preferences, the screen gave a quick medical report: All vaccinations completed, no viruses, no bacteria, no impurities, fat content— Nairod quickly said, Skip despite the protest of his mother. Show seven, said Nairod. The screen showed a full-size boy very similar to Nairod. Eight, nine, ten, said Nairod. He and his parents were intriguingly watching a Nairod growing on the screen until he became a twenty-year-old lad. Although this was not 100 percent accurate, it usually came very close to the reality. A hundred years of perfecting this system at the Child Evaluation Center had led to fairly accurate projections. After the astonishment dissipated, Nairod’s mouth closed, and a disapproving look formed on this face.