Well, the Olympics are in full swing, and so far anyway the prophets of doom look a bit silly, almost like those other prophets who from time to time gather their followers on a mountain top in expectation of the End of the World. Even in the absence of spectators and in defiance of other restrictions and Covid itself, the Tokyo Olympics seem to be doing just fine.
Actually my first sentence isn’t quite accurate. The Games aren’t yet in full swing. For hundreds of millions, the Olympic Games are the athletics, and the athletics are not yet underway. No doubt there is some exaggeration in identifying the Games with athletics, but it’s a pardonable exaggeration. From the days of Ancient Greece, running, throwing and jumping have been the heart of the Games.
