The pole vault final was arguably one of the most exciting finals among all the track and field events at the Rio Olympics 2016 so far. In a tense finish to the event, it was a one-on-one showdown between the Olympic debutant, Brazil’s very own Thiago Braz da Silva, and France’s Renaud Lavillenie – the defending champion who won gold at the 2012 London games.
Both vaulters had broken Lavillenie’s old Olympic record of 5.97m earlier in the final before the bar was set at a height of 6.03m. Braz da Silva failed in his first attempt as did Lavillenie. But on the second attempt, the 22-year-old Brazilian soared over the bar and cleared it with ease to break the record again and take him one step closer to the gold medal.
It was all down to the 29-year-old Lavillenie to respond and that was when the event took an ugly turn.
Athletes are usually applauded at the Olympics no matter what their nationality. In almost every event, one usually catches a glimpse of athletes egging the crowd to cheer them on – the most iconic of which is when the athlete claps his or her hands above their head to get the crowd going.
However, the Brazilians who had stayed back in the Rio Olympic Stadium having not expected a medal in the event were doing everything they could to distract Lavillenie. Boos resounded around the arena when he took to the runway and it even got to the point where a visibly upset Lavillenie shook his head and displayed them a thumbs-down sign showing exactly what he thought of their vociferous support. Or the lack of it.
“It's disgusting, there is a total lack of fair play and I want to stress that the Brazilian is not involved at all.
There is no respect, no fair play. It's the Olympics. If there's no respect in the Olympics, where can we get respect?” – Lavillenie
Lavillenie eventually failed to clear the mark in all three attempts and settled for the silver medal while Braz da Silva took the gold, much to the disbelief and elation of the home crowd. Having won the gold, he opted not to set the bar higher and try and break his own Olympic record, instead soaking in the adulation of the fans and celebrating his maiden Olympic triumph.
The Frenchman was in a sombre mood soon after as he went up to his team in the stands. He was in no mood to ‘celebrate’ a silver but reluctantly accepted a French flag and acknowledged the few cheers he received in the arena; which was easily drowned out by the roar for the Brazilian.
He was so disturbed by it all that he compared his situation to that of the treatment meted out to Jesse Owens in Nazi Germany during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, although he did retract that statement claiming he had made it in the heat of the moment.
But the worst was yet to come.
Lavillenie booed during medal ceremony
In a shocking turn of events, the hostility from the Brazilian crowd did not end there. As Lavillenie’s name was announced when he stepped up to the podium to receive his silver medal, the Brazilians booed and jeered him yet again – when there was absolutely no need to. Their countryman had won the day before and yet they had decided to abandon the spirit of sportsmanship to rub some more salt into his wounds.
If Lavillenie was holding back tears after losing the gold medal the previous day, the dam burst on the podium and he wept. He held his head in his hands and had to be consoled by IAAF President Sebastian Coe and IOC President Thomas Bach soon after. Even Braz da Silva and pole vault legend Sergei Bubka sat down with him and lent him their support.
“We plan to intensify our dialogue with Brazilian fans through social networks to make sure that we behave as fans in a proper and elegant manner, without losing the passion for sport.” – Rio 2016 chief spokesman Mario Andrada
But the damage was already done.
The fans were criticized from all quarters and rightly so. "Support the person that you want to support," said Olympic legend Michael Johnson. "But you don't boo someone else simply because they're competing against the person you support.
“It’s really a shame and I think that he was really hurt. To then boo on the medal stand having not learned the lesson, to begin with .”
Where was Brazil’s Olympic spirit?
One must remember that this is the Olympics and not the FIFA World Cup. While home crowds booing rival teams or fans is the norm in football, it simply does not mean the same should be repeated at the Olympics.
In a Games where we have seen proposals on the podium and two runners helping each other to the finish line, this incident leaves a bad taste and will not be forgotten quickly. What is more worrisome is that nasty crowds have been a trend at the Olympics.
Brazilians call this ‘zoeira’ – they enjoy teasing their opponents and winding them up. While this is somewhat acceptable in a team sport like football where a player can count on his or her teammates to provide support, it is a huge burden on an athlete in the middle of the arena when concentration and focus is of paramount importance.
But what was the need for booing him after the event was complete? Brazil had won; the gold was theirs. So why the animosity?
In a country where football is like a religion, the same fans have thronged the Olympic arenas in Rio. Underdogs are cheered in Brazil while the favourites are booed in equal measure. Even a game of tennis, where pin drop silence is expected, was not spared with chair umpires having a difficult time in controlling the crowds in Rio.
Ultimately, Brazilian fans must realize that the Olympics is about channeling their passion in the right direction. One does not need to support athletes from another country but one has no right to boo them either. Unless it is warranted such as in the case of Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby refusing to shake hands with Israel's Or Sasson.
The Olympic Games are about celebrating sportsmanship, camaraderie and, in the case of the host nation, national pride. Unfortunately, in this case, the latter was simply thrown into the back seat. Christ the Redeemer has a lot of work to do if Rio is to be remembered as a city worthy of hosting the Olympics ever again.
