Let me be clear: I hate sport spectatorship. It’s stupid. Play the sport or go read a book, but don’t sit in front of the TV and shout enthusiastically while someone ELSE does all the hard work.

 

Anyway, that’s familiar ground.

 

What I have noticed out of the corner of my eye is the sudden rush of enthusiasm for our winning of medals at the “special olympics”. “South Africa Redeemed” is the message.

 

Um. No. If we failed (as I understand we did) to win any medals at the REAL Olympics because we are a nation of lazy, second-rate athletes whose performance in Olympic-rated sports ranks somewhere alongside Uzbehkistan, can we just face the fact? Does it REALLY make anything better that people without arms and legs are beating other people without arms and legs to win medals?

 

Sorry to say this, but I really don’t think other countries hold up as their most eminent swimmers the ones who have to use their ears as propulsion devices. I’m sure the performance of the disabled at the Olympics is all very heroic and fabulous, and they should get credit for winning and doing us proud. Three cheers.

 

But these are just not REAL medals. Not REALLY. And we all know it, even if everyone gasps at the fact that I’m saying it.