Show support, not shame

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics kicked off this past week, and thanks to social media, we’ve been privy to many of the joyful narratives and moments that come along with it. 

There was the viral video of Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui’s family celebrating the moment the 18-year-old won Gold in the men’s 400m freestyle; then there was the Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus securing an unexpected Gold over compatriot, rival, and all-time great, Katie Ledecky – the video of Titmus’ coach celebrating in the stands is quintessential must-see TV.

These are but just two examples, but a cursory search online will find you scores more moments of human excellence and perseverance being celebrated in ways that would bring warmth to any who witness it. 

And rightfully so, as it is difficult to truly quantify the time, effort and determination that goes into, not just becoming an elite athlete, but one good enough to be recognised as the best in a given discipline. It’s sufficient to say, even being good enough to compete at the Olympics is a feat that ought to be wholly celebrated. But that is not always the case.

Jimmy Vicaut, Ben Youssef Meite and Akani Simbine – the fastest men in France, Ivory Coast and South Africa respectively – were 0.13, 0.15, and 0.23 seconds off Usain Bolt’s gold medal-winning time at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Yet, they’re but a footnote in the history books.

This is the cruel nature of sport, and one that we, as a viewing public, need to be increasingly cognisant of. The higher up the sporting ladder you go, the smaller the margins of defeat become. England won the Cricket World Cup on boundary count, Italy beat England in the Euros in a penalty shootout, Bolt was only 0.07 seconds faster than the second-placed Justin Gatlin in the 100m at Rio 2016.

But such is modern society, especially with the advent of social media – which grants an almost direct line of access between the public and athletes – what was once idle commentary to oneself or family in front of a TV, can now be broadcast on a platform that the athletes themselves, try as they might, find hard to avoid.

In Sri Lanka, a country where the lack of funding, resources and population means any achievement on the global stage should be met with outright reverence, the social media backlash some of our athletes have faced has been troublesome to say the least.

Our cricketers have faced the brunt of this in recent times through memes and scathing assessments in local papers. So much so, that in the past, cricketers like Kusal Mendis, who has been particularly targeted, have gone out of their way after successful performances to reference their ‘haters’.

Indeed, such has been the detrimental nature of this online abuse, that Sri Lanka Cricket Head Coach Mickey Arthur has even asked his players to completely steer clear of social media.

Then this past week there have been unsavoury comments made about the lack of medal prospects amongst Team Sri Lanka at the Olympics. This has been even more galling considering the unprecedented nature of having to prepare for an Olympics amidst a pandemic. Swimmers such as Matthew Abeysinghe were forced to train alone while abroad, while some in Sri Lanka had to train from home, as travel restrictions prevented their coaches from being with them in person – needless to say, this impacted so many crucial aspects in an Olympic year, everything from nutrition to routine. 

To put it plainly, these are athletes who are undoubtedly the most talented and hardworking from a nation of 21 million people, some of whom have qualified as among the best in the region, being criticised for not being able to beat equally or more talented/hardworking athletes from other countries.

And this is without getting into the pressure these athletes must feel every time they set out to perform. Is it any surprise that champion US gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the Tokyo games citing a need to look after her mental wellbeing? And that Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka did the same at the French Open earlier this year?

So, when Team Sri Lanka returns from the Olympics, we as the public need to know our role. These athletes don’t need us to tell them what they did wrong – there will be plenty of time for that as coaching staff and the athletes themselves reflect on what went wrong and how to put them right – but rather our job should be to remind them of the sheer gravity of even reaching an Olympic Games, and how regardless of result, they remain nothing less than the absolute best of us.