In his Aug. 8 online sports column, “On the night Noah Lyles was to become a legend, he became a reminder,” Jerry Brewer wrote that Mr. Lyles’s collapse on the track at the Stade de France was a testament to the covid-19 pandemic’s devastating legacy. But Mr. Brewer’s take is shortsighted. The pandemic may have stopped the world in its tracks in 2020, but Mr. Lyles still won an Olympic medal while competing with a full-blown case of the disease. He proved himself stronger than the virus that disrupted the world for years. And as other Olympic athletes physically embraced him, fearless of contracting the disease, they courageously reminded the world what it means for humanity to be stronger than what caused those in positions of power throughout the world to shut everything down. Like health professionals, The Post’s columnist considers this foolhardy. But the world will remember Mr. Lyles for showing us that covid-19 no longer needs to be a source of terror for most people.
Noah Lyles showed us that the covid-19 pandemic is over — or did he?
Dino Drudi, Alexandria
Regarding Candace Buckner’s Aug. 10 Sports column, “At a career moment, Lyles thought only of himself. Been there.”:
As a physician who served on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, I already knew that countless people decided to put their own interests ahead of the health and the very lives of others when it came to spreading covid-19. I’ve seen the consequences of those choices in overcrowded intensive care units, canceled surgeries, lifelong disability and death.
“Human nature,” Ms. Buckner called the urge to put yourself first — but who had the luxury of indulging their human nature during the pandemic, and who did not? In 2020 and 2021, it would have been in essential workers’ best interests to stay home and avoid covid-19 exposure. Instead, as an emergency room doctor and friend of mine memorably put it with a wry shrug: “We thought we were going to die. And every morning, it was like, ‘Well, I guess I’m going to work.’”
One of the worst parts of the pandemic for me was knowing I was risking my life to care for strangers who would refuse to care for me, or anyone, if it got in the way of their own self-interest. I’m sad but not surprised that so many doctors and nurses — including me — decided to walk away from our callings.
But, hey, at least health-care workers finally learned to put themselves first — just as Noah Lyles did.
Amy Fraser, Ottawa, Ontario
I believe that Noah Lyles should be stripped of his bronze medal for knowingly exposing the athletes he competed against — and, by extension, their teammates, families and friends — to covid-19. Such behavior violated the Olympic code of sportsmanship, even if not explicitly against the rules, and endangered people from all over the world. Mr. Lyles also injured the reputation of the United States with his selfish and egotistical behavior. Athletes are regularly punished for violating drug protocols. This is far worse. He should have been self-isolating, not running on the track.
Jerry Herst, Evanston, Ill.
The value of disappointment
I have really enjoyed watching and reading about our athletes who have done so well in the Olympics. However, there have been disappointments, among them: Swimmer Caeleb Dressel, who has won multiple gold medals in the past, did not win any individual medals this time (though he helped Team USA take gold in the 4x100 men’s freestyle relay and the 4x100 mixed medley relay), and sprinter Noah Lyles did not win the 200-meter final.
But disappointments can be a good thing if taken with the right frame of mind. Though they are very painful — if we pause and think about it — they help us realize what is most important in life and be thankful for all the good things we do have. Just being part of the Olympics is an amazing thing, and the athletes will remember and appreciate this experience for the rest of their lives, whether or not they made it to the podium or to any particular step.
Paul Coppola, Washington
An appealing fix
As Sally Jenkins noted in her Aug. 14 column, “Chiles loses her medal, and it all smells foul,” the Court of Arbitration for Sport turned down Jordan Chiles’s appeal to reconsider the revocation of her Olympic bronze medal. The frustration and controversy have taken over the positive publicity and goodwill that flowed from the recent Olympic Games in Paris. The decision apparently is being justified as a matter of strict adherence to rules and procedures about appeals, without regard for the fact that an error was made by Olympic officials. A simple way to end the negative publicity and controversy would be to admit the error and award bronze medals to both Ms. Chiles and Romania’s Ana Barbosu. Everyone wins, and we go back to celebrating all the joy and inspiration that these Games produced.
Jim McDaniel, Springfield, Va.
Remember the Paralympics
If we really cared about the remarkable heroes known as Paralympians, why not intersperse their events with the other Olympic events? Imagine the impact of watching a gold-medal swimming final immediately followed by a Paralympic swimming event, blind football or a wheelchair basketball game.
NBC told us at the end of the Closing Ceremonies that the Olympics have ended. But in my mind, since the Paralympic Games begin on Aug. 28 and continue until Sept. 8, the Olympics are only halfway through.
Glenn Easton, Chevy Chase
A greater Games
Regarding The Post’s Aug. 13 editorial, “A new measure of global progress: the Olympics”:
For all the success of the Paris Olympics, and the diversity of its medalists, the Olympic movement finds itself at a crossroads. The International Olympic Committee wants to modernize — it wants “youthful Games” — and has added events such as surfing, breakdancing and sport climbing. At the same time, much of the Games’s appeal is tied to their classical roots. The committee wants to grow the Games and at the same time reduce their sprawl.
Medalists at this year’s Olympics represented many countries, but the reality of the Olympics remains the same: The Olympics are less a gathering of the best athletes in the world than of the best athletes from rich countries. My analysis suggests that 20 of the world’s wealthiest nations accounted for more than half of the athletes in Paris, while only 5.5 percent of the athletes came from the 50 lowest-income nations represented at the Games.Further, countries in the top 10 percent by GDP per capita won more medals than countries in the bottom 50 percent. The United States alone accounted for more medals than countries in the bottom 30 percent.
The participation numbers have grown worse since 2016, when the wealthiest countries accounted for “only” 48 percent of athletes. GDP per capita remains the best predictor of Olympic success, and the IOC’s flirtation with so-called youthful sports only makes the problem worse: Exactly zero athletes from the 50 lowest-income nations took part in Olympic surfing, sport climbing or breaking.
Rather than merely seeking relevance among the younger generations from rich countries, the IOC would find a more meaningful path forward by returning to three simple words once uttered by its founder: “Sport for all.”
The goal of sport for all would be to significantly increase participation from countries in the developing world. The IOC has the resources: According to its most recent annual report, the IOC brought in $7.6 billion in revenue from the 2017-2021 Olympic cycle alone.
The IOC can’t waltz into developing countries and create Olympians, nor can it simply fund sports programs and expect to make a significant difference. Instead, it must harness the power of sport for larger development goals. The United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes sport as “an important enabler of sustainable development,” with the potential to contribute meaningfully to the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals in areas such as public health, inclusive and quality education and gender equality, and empowerment for all women and girls.
Given the IOC’s reputation for elitism, graft and general dishonesty, it might seem like an unlikely agent of development. But the IOC has taken steps in a better direction, sponsoring an international Olympic Refugee Team at all Games since 2016. Embracing sport for all would further reorient the IOC’s culture and help change its reputation, especially if the IOC works with more reputable partners.
Working with the United Nations, the IOC could invest in programs that would bring meaningful change to developing countries and build their sports programs at the same time. Sport for all is a worthy ideal that could infuse the Olympic movement with a greater sense of purpose while making the Olympics more accessible and equitable. The IOC could stage a greater Games, in service to a greater good.
Stephen Lane, Concord, Mass.