Almost all major international events begin with a process of hiding – greenery reinvigorated, slums covered with steel sheets, littered roads cleaned overnight. The displays of international might and prosperity are always accompanied with a subduing of political realities. Host cities, in the effort to establish themselves as global hubs, polish the good and conceal the bad. Failures of governance are rescinded to the dark. The game of global politics rears an ugly side during global events, one where the politicians are temporary magicians and their nations, another stage for spectacle.
The Olympics have always been an ace spectacle, gilded with the exertion of soft power and budding nationalism. As the games began in Paris this week, political and bureaucratic machinery was mobilised, as it always is in such cases to make the city “presentable” – turning iconic French sites into a backdrop, la culture was there but it barely spoke, as the city was reduced to a ghost town. This is partially because it’s summer, but also because large swathes of the city have been armed and barricaded. So Parisians chose to flee the city while others – have been asked to leave.
Earlier this year, around 3000 students were asked to leave their subsidised student accommodation, provided by the Paris affiliate of CROUS, a public institution which manages affordable housing for university attendees. This was done to accommodate volunteers and public officers for the Olympics. In return, the displaced students, who’re often unable to move out of Paris for the summer due to financial constraints, were handed a 100 euros and two tickets to the Games – an imperfect compensation. Social collectives like Le Revers de la Medaille issued public letters to the Olympic Organising Committee regarding the displacement of refugees, squatting in Île-de-France, around the Olympic village. Behind its touristique sheen, Paris is known for high living prices and its mismanagement of refugee populations. While some may argue the Olympics jolted administration into civil action, there’s little consideration of the long- term.
Even after the Parisian mayor’s dip in the Seine and a hole of 1.4 billion dollar in the government’s pocket to make it swimmable – the iconic river still appears to be somewhat hazardous with positive tests for E.coli as late as the end of July. These infrastructural developments, usually done in haste and with power projection in mind – are far from effective sustainable strategies. Behind the race of gold medallions, there is a grave political reality which can be visually manipulated, but continues to speak after such events, which exacerbate more than heal.
Moreover, the city of the Paris Protocol has attempted to decrease emissions this time – aiming at about 1.5 metric tonnes, half of the London Olympics. While only two sporting venues have been constructed with bio-sourced materials and claim to use 100% renewable energy, methodologies remain unclear and lack monitoring. Organisers already were pressured to drop phrases like “carbon-neutral” by local activists, as they remain silent on the several fuel-guzzling planes that flew in tourists, athletes, and heads of state.
The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics were held in Sochi barely having pre-existing sporting infrastructure. Villages in Krasnodar Krai became dumping grounds for construction waste; the ground-up construction displaced locals and cut off water supply while contaminating local streams. Local activists raised concerns, however the games continued as they usually do, turning out to be the most expensive Winter Olympics in history. While many would like to believe so – this isn’t solely a Putin problem. The most horrifying stories are from the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, where parts of western Rio de Janeiro – particularly Vila Autódromo, a favela — was fully levelled to construct gyms and swimming pools. When they protested, the police responded brutally – for them the legacy of the Olympics was one which razed their village to the ground.
The Olympic memory remains duplicitous – the celebration of sportsmanship is built of the foundations of forced evictions, displacement and wastefulness. As the city of love is transformed into the city of sport for the Olympics, it’s easy to forget that behind the glitz and glam lies the human cost of hosting events of such magnitude, a cost citizens shouldn’t have to bear.
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Featured Image Credits: Reuters
Chaharika Uppal
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