The Olympic fortnight was, according to many commentators, a magical interlude within a troubled period. After a chaotic political sequence marked by the dissolution of the French National Assembly and various concerns about organization and security, the 2024 Olympics, beyond the opening ceremony, benefited from a postcard-perfect setting, a shower of French medals, and an unexpected fervor. Such excitement recalls, in some ways, the 1998 FIFA World Cup. As a student at the time, I experienced the extraordinary atmosphere on the Champs-Élysées following the victories of the French team during the final phase.
What strikes me today, in continuity with that last snapshot, is the emotional chasm between, on the one hand, a daily media narrative mostly filled with wars, tragedies, and various tensions—at least dedicating more time to this type of news—and, on the other hand, the euphoria of the Games that temporarily sweeps away the usual negativity.
Contrary to what one might imagine, these emotional rollercoasters are not so exceptional; they characterize a fragmented relationship with a reality divided into different spheres. Don’t we often demand to leave personal problems at the doorstep of the workplace and, conversely, not to bring work troubles home? The roles we play depending on the context in which we find ourselves each carry different types of behaviours and emotions. Thus, the attitude adopted during vacations often contrasts sharply with that of “active” life. Consciously, contemporary societies have implemented forms of temporary escape, outlets that resemble an ephemeral paradise compared to a challenging daily life.
Similarly, the Olympics seem to exist in a world distinct from that of political friction, itself largely stemming from economic competition, with the exception that the common thread of competition remains. Tributary of the gloom of nations whose dominance is eroding, competition simultaneously provokes the enthusiasm of peoples who come together to cheer on their sports representatives. Yet in a competition like the Olympics, only the top three in a given discipline receive a medal; the others must content themselves with the pleasure of participation and often face unpleasant comments in the media.
Globalized competition—whether political, economic, or sporting—sculpts an elitist hierarchy and weaves interactions between domains that it tends otherwise to isolate and segment. In particular, sports inspire companies that, in return, sponsor athletes and teams or seek their advice to perform better. The fundamental ethical problem associated with competition as it currently unfolds is not, of course, the emulation it fosters, but the structural inequality it promotes, the excessive stress and frustrations it generates, or the conflicts it sustains. Moreover, to dominate a market or a sports discipline, one must invest 100%, literally dedicate one’s life to it—in other words, partially alienate oneself, as it is nearly impossible to engage in emancipatory reflection under such conditions.
The quest for records in which humanity is engaged seems anachronistic to me in an era of automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence. The performances achieved by athletes paradoxically illustrate the mechanical facet of human beings: they optimally execute sequences of movements they have memorized. They strive to master their bodies to perfection, pushing them to the maximum of their abilities, thereby perpetuating an aging anthropocentrism, a cult of excellence from which it is so difficult to disengage because it has roots in ancient Greece and, more broadly, in all the myths where gods take human form. Doesn’t the athletic ideal compensate for the reality of a population that engages in relatively little physical exercise, hardly eats a balanced diet, and is developing a tendency toward obesity?
The excessive joy that surrounds the Olympics constitutes the counterpart to the usual sadness, that of people suffering the consequences of competitions in which they cling to avoid any downgrading. The emotional rollercoasters thus manifest a deep social and psychological imbalance.