Let the (alternative) games begin!*
The Games of the XXXIII Olympiad have begun with all the stunning techno wizardry and cultural iconography the French could muster, and when it comes to cultural iconography, the French have it in spades. As we all know, Australia needs to do well in the first week of any Olympic Games because once the swimming concludes, we’re pretty much like fish out of water. Sure, we’ll pick up medals in a few other sports later in the show, but we know that if we have any chance of ending up in a respectable position on the final medal tally, it’s mostly up to the swimmers to get us there. Since the era of the modern Olympic Games, which commenced in 1896, various sports have been discontinued and others added. In the 1900 Games in Paris, hot air ballooning and croquet were contested. They only survived one Games, mainly because the only competitors were French. Other sports we don’t see at Olympic level any more are tug-of-war, obstacle course racing, steeplechase and...