Opinion: The Olympic dream - Fact or fiction?

Sunset at Rio's Copacabana beach (Photosport)
Sunset at Rio's Copacabana beach (Photosport)

In just a couple of weeks, sports fans from around the world will descend on Rio and pay enormous sums of money to attend the Olympic Games - the greatest sports show on earth. 

They will swipe their Visa cards to buy their McDonalds and Coca Cola, which they will eat and drink while watching the time-honoured blue-ribbon events which represent the Olympic dream.

These fans are deluded. They are hypnotised by the romantic ideals of the Olympic Games in the way a desperado will snuggle up with a Mills & Boon novel for escapism. They are lost in fiction.

Anyone who believes Russia’s doping cover-up is an isolated case, or that the country is a lone-wolf bad-guy, is naïve in the extreme.

That's why it's astonishing that even after the extraordinary details of systemic state-sponsored doping revealed in the McLaren Report, the IOC is hesitant to take decisive action. Especially following the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to uphold the International Athletics' Federation's ban of Russian athletes from Rio, the world is looking to the IOC to issue a blanket ban of all Russian Athletes.

But the IOC is squirming as it battles to answer the most awkward question of all: are the millions in lost sponsorship and broadcast revenue, greater than the value placed on the integrity of the Olympic movement? 

Earlier this week following the release of his report, Doctor Richard McLaren was asked "Do you find your faith in sport and what you see performed in front of you, do you find that faith questioned or rattled?" 

He simply answered "I do". 

A failure to act in on his overwhelming evidence leaves the Olympic Games at risk of entering the domain of professional wrestling. Athletes are juiced. Competition is compromised, if not fixed. This is entertainment, not sport. Some love it, others can't stand it. 

As a sports fan, where do you draw the line? Do you feel the need to draw a line?

You almost certainly don’t want to draw a line. So do you simply accept the situation, or is there a point where you won’t watch, won’t attend?

Because while fans continue to watch, attend, buy the t-shirt and drink the Kool-Aid, broadcasters and sponsors will continue to pay vast sums to be associated with these major events. Their dollars will encourage administrators to turn a blind eye to corruption, and perpetuate a myth. 

Personally, I can no longer watch or give credence to the Tour De France. Lance Armstrong’s confessions made me draw a line. I have no confidence in the event, or this version of the sport.

Maybe that’s unfair. Maybe cycling’s cleaned up its act. Maybe the riders are clean now. I hope they are. If so, that’s great.

But for now, I’m out.

I’m out because the sport knew the problems, but needed it to be real. So they cheated us into thinking it was real.

FIFA might be the worst. They're happy for Russia to host the 2018 World Cup, despite accusations Russia’s bid team destroyed computers and documents relating to the country’s bid to host the tournament. Sound familiar? 

I’ll watch the 2018 FIFA World Cup, because I’m still convinced that what happens on the pitch is real and un-corrupted. But will I feel the same about what happens in Rio? Right now, I can’t be sure. Will it be fact, or fiction? Some events might be clean, but who knows? 

A Russian ban won't guarantee a clean games but while the IOC dither, my confidence in the Olympic Dream is wavering. 

Do you still believe? 

Newshub.