Olympic agonies merit examination as well as compassion

There are ways of analysing Olympic disappointment without thrusting the knife

Kenya’s Vincent Onyala is tackled by Gavin Mullin and Billy Dardis of Ireland

There is a fine line between criticism and pandering when it comes to sport. The media can be chastised for cheerleading, or branded monsters for taking too hard a line when a player, an athlete, a team or a crew fail to meet expectations, whether their own, or those held by others and ultimately devalued as currency.

It’s a balancing act made all the more delicate given the mental health issues raised by world-class competitors such as Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles and Tom Daly in recent days, weeks and months and yet none of this takes from the need or the responsibility to state facts and call a failure or an underperformance exactly as it is.