Hello, Hangover!

The party is over in Rio, and it is time for introspection

- Mathew T. George

The last medal ceremony of the Olympics was held during the closing ceremony. Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya took gold in the men's marathon,  Feyisa Lilesa of Ethiopia silver and Galen Rupp of USA bronze. Lilesa seemed preoccupied, worried. He was chewing his lips, his face twitching. When called to the podium, he climbed up and saluted the crowd. But, the smile was wan. The medal was awarded by IOC president Thomas Bach and the souvenir by Lord Sebastian Coe.

Lilesa’s unease stemmed from what he did when he crossed the finish line. He raised his arms and crossed them in an X. In the post-marathon press conference he had said, “The Ethiopian government are killing the Oromo people and taking their land and resources. My relatives are in prison, and if they talk about democratic rights they are killed. I raised my hands to support the Oromo protest.” He said he might be killed or imprisoned if he returned home. And, he was also worried about his family back home—wife and two children, parents, a brother and a sister.

The incident just affirms the fact that the Olympics is not just about sport. Through the Games, and through the International Olympic Committee, runs a strong vein of commerce and politics. When it is restricted to the administrators, it is often condoned. But, the IOC brooks no politics on field, and no ambush marketing.

Lilesa stands to face IOC sanctions. Remember the famous AP photograph from Mexico 1968 of two black athletes on the podium raising a black-gloved hand each? They were protesting human rights violations. They had shed their shoes, too, to highlight poverty among African-Americans. Olympic 200m  gold medallist Tommie Smith and bronze medallist John Carlos were stripped of their medals for the “outrageous stance”.