The Japanese people have never wanted this childish, totally unnecessary, play time called the Olympic Games. But, the Japanese government clearly takes as little notice of the people as the Australian government takes of us.

The real boofhead - Australian politicians' term of abuse for Australians wanting to regain democracy - is John Coates, a person we all should be ashamed of. Bach a despot? Right on! If it's not health "experts" telling elected people's representatives what to do, it's power-crazed sporting dictatorships.

As for the egotistic, spoilt brats called athletes, they should be quarantined from the rest of us indefinitely when they return

The big thing to come out of the games this time us the appalling hypocrisy of allowing sporting types to leave the country when that ability is not extended to other Australians for business or compassionate reasons, and those of us at home are locked up in our houses like criminals on home detention.

Sorry, Binroy. This sounds very much like another of your childish rants against authority/the dominant culture?

I like to believe that no nation sent any athletes to these games who weren't vaccinated? Nor referees or umpires? It had to cost them heaps to leave those huge stadiums empty? So, at odds with your rant that this was all about money and prestige? But dare I suggest, political?

Surely some of it was about the pandemic the lockdowns etc-etc? And giving some of those folks doing it tough, something to take their minds off of their troubles for just a few hours? And a huge boon to many mental well-beings? That could carry over for several weeks?
Alan B.

I guess a desk jokey like Binoy could never understand the athlete. It would be impossible to understand that an athlete may have been training extremely hard for 5 to 10 years to get just one or at best a couple of chances for a shot at Olympic gold. Many have invested their whole lives to get that chance.

Some have already had their chance spoiled by the postponement of a year, having past their best, but to cancel the thing would destroy their reason for living.

Obviously Binoy could never feel the passion that drives the elite athletic to attempt to achieve at the highest level, with him waffling on about a bunch of old men getting their knickers in a knot about things the athlete has to bare with & ignore to reach for their goal.

Some may choose to stay home, but for others, most, the danger is minor in achieving an Olympic team. Binoy I suggest you keep your nose & pen out of things you can never understand.