Think the Tokyo Olympics are a bad idea? St Louis 1904 set the bar high

On one hand, these Tokyo Games could be a recipe for disaster. On the other persisting with deeply flawed ideas is very much in line with the Olympic spirit

SCRAPING THE BARREL: ’Barrel jumping’ was amongst the sports at the 1904 Olympics in St Louis. At a farcical Olympics, the marathon turned into a freak show. Picture: Getty Images

The Delta variant of the coronavirus is in full flower. Japan is under a state of emergency. Less than a quarter of Japanese population has been jabbed. In a few days’ time USA Swimming’s Michael Andrew and other anti-vaxxers will descend on Tokyo and parts surrounding to go for gold inside fan-less stadia. On one hand this could be a recipe for disaster. On the other persisting with deeply flawed ideas is very much in line with the Olympic spirit.

Consider the case of the 1904 Games, the first worldwide Olympics held outside of Europe. The decision to stage them in the US nearly scuttled the Olympic experiment as we know it. Not only was the host nation an ocean away, but the host city, St Louis, was in the midwest, making for terrifically expensive and slow travel. All together 12 countries showed, with some events playing out like US national trials (which is to say the field was all-American).