Take Malawi for example. It is an incredibly poor country in south eastern Africa. Its population is now over twenty million. It has sent competitors to eleven different Olympic Games and has not won a single medal in all that time.
This year Malawi has sent just three competitors to Paris. At the swimming pool, Filipe Gomes has already been knocked out of the men's 50 metre freestyle event. Tayamika Chang'anamuno will feature in the heats of the women's 50 metre freestyle which happen tomorrow August 4th. She is not expected to advance.
The only other Malawian competitor will be Asimenye Simwaka who will no doubt try her best on the athletics track in the women's 100 metres. Again her chances of a medal are almost zero.
I have little doubt that if Malawi had great sporting facilities, coaches and funding it would have won several medals over the years but could the country possibly justify such spending? Healthcare, education and infrastructure improvement matter more than Olympic medals. Also there are mouths to feed.
Malawi is just one of sixty five countries that have never won a single medal in the Summer Olympics. That list also includes Angola, Bangladesh, Mali, The Democratic Congo Republic, Papua New Guinea and Honduras.
So when Olympians say,“Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together” do they really mean it or is it just a hollow marketing slogan? Perhaps Malawi supports the notion contained in George Orwell's "Animal Farm" that "all animals are equal but some are more equal than others".
Best of luck to Tayamika Chang'anamuno and Asimenye Simwaka!
Who says life is fair? You've pointed out how some people do not have a chance.
ReplyDeleteOlympic fairness is an illusion. How many black or Asian people figure in the boating regatta?
DeleteIt seems the best athletes are the ones who come from monied countries with endless opportunities; not really very equal.
ReplyDeleteMalawi simply cannot afford to send more than two or three competitors to The Olympics.
DeleteI also wish them the best of luck, but wonder if they ever think "why bother?"which is very negative of me; even without the training facilities, coaching and money, maybe one day they will win.
ReplyDeleteI guess dreams can come true - but mostly in fairytales.
DeleteOne of my neighbours comes from Malawi and is a biochemist. She has done very well for herself.
ReplyDeleteShe has done that in spite of the odds stacked against her - unless of course she was born into a wealthy, influential family.
DeleteMouths to feed, yes. But successful athletes usually have a small army of people around them, not just their coaches. There are physicians, physio nurses, teachers, the folks behind the scenes who do the washing, cleaning and cooking, others in admin/managing roles and so on. A boarding school where young athletes study and train employs a lot of people and can feed many mouths.
ReplyDeleteAmerica probably provides the best examples of such sporting privilege. China too.
DeleteWe always appreciate a winner who overcomes large odds against them. I hope a few of those countries can be off the 'never won a medal' list.
ReplyDeletePigs might fly Andrew.
DeleteThe olympics, like every other big competition, are as much about how well resourced and supported the competitors are as talent and training
ReplyDeleteMost African competitors do not stand a chance with South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria being exceptions to that rule.
DeleteYes, I wish them good luck too, and hope that they can win a medal or two. One has to admire the fact that they can find the resources to send their athletes to compete. They will be up against those from rich countries who spend extortionate amounts of money to train their teams to the very highest standard.
ReplyDeleteMalawi could only manage to send three and all three failed to progress beyond the heats.
Delete"Four legs good. Two legs bad".
ReplyDeleteEspecially if it is a table!
DeleteThere should be value in being there, joining others, doing your best, putting on a good effort, and less on who is 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Those three athletes will return home changed for having been there, and hopefully be a role model to others to make the most of what they have to work with.
ReplyDeleteYou could be right.
DeleteIt does bring attention to their country and to the athletes and there may be some value in that. They will be celebrated just for making it to that level and that's inspiring.
ReplyDeleteAnd they will be able to tell thrilling stories of how rich nations won all the medals.
DeleteThe athletes are there because they are their country's best. They will forever be able to say, "I am an Olympian," regardless if they won a medal or not, even if they did not qualify for the final heat. Yes, big, rich countries have the advantage over smaller, poorer countries but I'll bet Malawian girls look up to Asimenye Simwaka with the same awe as girls in the USA look up to Sha'Carri Richardson.
ReplyDeleteI like your upbeat portrayal Diaday.
DeleteIt is a shame they can't be winners, money paves the way for the rich countries no one is really starting off on an equal footing.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that some countries look at The Olympics in a slightly bemused fashion. There are only 195 countries in the world and yet a third of them have never won an Olympic medal.
DeleteWe would really love to think that the athletes who come together at the Olympics to compete are there as equal competitors but as Librarian pointed out, it takes huge amounts of money to create and support world-class athletes. Heart and soul and ability are hugely important, of course, but there are teams of people who work with the athletes for many years. Poor countries, as you pointed out, just do not have those resources.
ReplyDeleteThey can only look on with bemusement and perhaps a degree of envy.
DeleteMoney always makes a difference, better training, better health care and physio, better food, but I also agree with Travel.
ReplyDeleteSomething is wrong if a third of the countries in the world have never won a single medal.
DeleteThe competitors from those countries have not had their every waking minute dedicated to training, diet, and no doubt a good deal of brainwashing to ensure they are the best!
DeleteThere's no question that smaller, less wealthy nations are at a competitive disadvantage. But I think it's significant that they compete, and it's a boon to their national pride to simply have access to the world stage in this way. It's not all about the winning, in other words. These athletes are probably heroes on their home turf.
ReplyDeleteJust as an example - with a population of 175 million, Bangladesh is hardly a "smaller" country. Perhaps athletes from poor countries are indeed heroes destined to never be champions. Whereas Malawi sent three competitors to Paris 24, the USA sent 592.
DeleteNeil, Neil, Neil. It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.
ReplyDeleteOh. I didn't know that.
DeleteYou make a valid point and I think that is why it is always so wonderful to see an "underdog" win every now and again. Today the island of St. Lucia won it's first medal ever in the women's 100 metre run and it was amazing to see the videos of the viewing parties back home. I think the Americans were truly shocked.
ReplyDelete