The Olympic ideal, too good to be true?

“Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter.” Faster, higher, stronger – together. That is the Olympic motto. Does the Olympic ideal still exist or has it been overshadowed by doping, international politics and the gigantism of the Games? Both Olympic champions, Sylvie Bernier (diving, Los Angeles Games in 1984) and Jean-Luc Brassard (freestyle skiing, Lillehammer Games in 1994) have different opinions on the question*.

In 2024, do you still believe in the Olympic ideal?

Sylvie Bernier: I believe in it. For me, the Olympic ideal is a healthy mind in a healthy body. Those were my values ​​when I was diving, and they are still very present in my life. The Games can motivate young people and people to move, to be active in their daily lives. As a child, I started diving to treat my severe asthma. When my parents took me to see diving at the Montreal Olympics, the magic happened.

Jean-Luc Brassard: No. I believed in the Olympic rhetoric for a long time, but I gave up when the harassment scandal broke at the Canadian Olympic Committee. [sous l’ex-président Marcel Aubut]. Instead of being an agent of change, they decided to close themselves off. The Olympic dream lasts six days. Like an all-inclusive in Cuba. You compete in front of an extraordinary crowd and setting, but at what social and financial cost? It costs billions of dollars to the taxpayers of the host countries. In addition, the Games are a war without guns. There is nothing more political than the Olympics. The state-sponsored doping of the Russians in Sochi was to show their superiority.

What does the Olympic ideal represent for you?

Jean-Luc Brassard: I believe in the sporting ideal of competing against the best in the world to try to surpass yourself. I don’t like the philosophy of medals at all costs. Everyone can aim to improve their skills. The Canadian government funds organizations like Own the Podium where funding for sports federations varies according to medal chances. If you perform poorly, the budget is cut. It puts a lot of pressure on athletes.

Sylvie Bernier: A healthy mind resides in a healthy body. And also surpassing oneself, well before the medal. The thousands of athletes at the Games do not all realistically aspire to stand on the podium. They aspire to surpass themselves, to achieve their goal. The most important thing is not the result, it is the journey. Forty years later, my medal is in my drawer. What remains are the joys, the disappointments, my visualization techniques, and rubbing shoulders with other athletes.

What is the most positive legacy of Olympism?

Sylvie Bernier: Uniting the athletes, who are at the heart of the Olympic experience. Between Olympic cycles, the different sports are not brought together in a single competition. Living in the Olympic Village is unique. These athletes all have a passion for their sport.

Jean-Luc Brassard: I don’t see many. The United States, which has won the most Olympic medals, is one of the least fit countries. Olympism is also very elitist: it’s difficult to do high-level sport if you don’t come from a wealthy background.

What needs to be changed or improved at the Olympic Games?

Jean-Luc Brassard: Everybody is lining their pockets, except the athletes. If you take away the athletes, there are no more Games. I would give money, a minimum fee, to the qualified athletes. When the Rolling Stones play at the Bell Centre, they get paid. In Canada, the government funds Olympic athletes for the equivalent of a little more than welfare.

Sylvie Bernier: Bringing the Games back to a more human scale. Athletes are not asking for delusions of grandeur. In Los Angeles in 1984, my competition was in temporary facilities on a university site. We don’t have to build everything from scratch, and we shouldn’t wait 30, 40 or 50 years to return to the same host city. My other wish is that all young people have the same chance to play sports, regardless of their socio-economic background. But that requires sports infrastructure.

What do you remember from your Games?

Sylvie Bernier: Magic and pride. My pride wasn’t about my medal but about maintaining a positive mindset even though I had cracked a rib a month before the Games.

Jean-Luc Brassard: At my first Games, in Albertville in 1992, I was 19, I was naive and impressed by the scale. In Lillehammer in 1994, I became Olympic champion. My life changed overnight, I had a lot of attention and responsibilities when I was young. It can be a slippery slope if you are not well prepared. At my last Games in 2002, the magic was no longer working, I saw the very commercial side of the Olympics.

Are you going to follow the Paris Games?

Sylvie Bernier: I will follow them, but also move, run, cycle, camp, enjoy the summer with my children and grandchildren. When I watch the Games, I will live them fully. People do not always want to watch them with me: I put myself in the athletes’ shoes, I am very intense!

Jean-Luc Brassard: This is our only chance to see some sports. I am looking forward to seeing surfing in Tahiti. But I have young children and we are going to enjoy the summer. I am going to applaud the athletes, without getting involved in Olympic propaganda.

* Interviews were conducted separately and before the start of the Paris Olympics. Comments have been truncated for brevity.

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