J'adore the Olympics

Plus: It Ends With Us, CEO pay numbers that will make you angry, and more August 9, 2024 [View in browser]( Happy Friday! I’ve got some big (and bittersweet) news before we get to the rest of the newsletter: Today’s edition will the be the last one I run. I’m leaving Vox after six years for another opportunity, and senior editor Lavanya Ramanathan will be taking over the Today, Explained reins. It’s been an honor to be in your inboxes every day. For my final edition, I’ve picked a fun one: the Olympics. Editorial director Bryan Walsh is here to rave about them — and explain why they feel so refreshing this year. —Caroline Houck, senior editor of news   [two fans decked out in French wigs, flags, and face paint] Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP via Getty Images Paris reminded us why we love the Olympics It’s fair to observe that in the run-up to the Summer Olympics, Parisians were feeling a bit of, how do you say, ennui. If they [hadn’t already]( put their apartments on Airbnb in anticipation of fleeing the city, Parisians [took to social media]( to complain about the Olympics and beg tourists not to come. Well, guess what? They came, with an [Olympic record 9.7 million tickets]( sold by the start of the Games. And guess what else? The many Parisians who stayed embraced Olympic fervor, cheering on the sporting exploits of Team France, from swimmer Leon Marchand (who dominated the pool in [Michael Phelps-esque style]() to its pole vaulters ([somewhat less successful](). But it wasn’t just Parisians who benefited from these Olympics, which come to a close this Sunday. It was all of us, coming to see through these fantastic Games just how exciting, awe-inspiring, and heart-breaking international sport can be when it takes place in the right city. There was the GOAT Simone Biles and her teammate Jordan Chiles bowing to floor exercise gold-medal winner Rebeca Andrade, in the [first all-Black winners podium]( in gymnastics. There was American Cole Hocker channeling the spirit of Steve Prefontaine in a glorious come-from-behind win in the 1500-meter race. There was Arisa Trew, bringing home the gold in skateboarding at just 14 years old. There was Snoop Dogg here, there, and everywhere. And there were [plenty of viewers](. Paris, with its peerless backdrops — beach volleyball beneath the Eiffel Tower! Equestrian events on the grounds of Versailles! — and undeniable savoir faire, may just have helped save the Olympics. At least for now. [olympic athletes celebrate with their medals in front of the eiffel tower] Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images The Covid Olympics It’s easy to forget amid the euphoria of the Paris Games, but it’s been a rough few years for major international sporting events. The last Summer Olympics — the delayed 2021 Tokyo Games — were heavily disrupted by Covid. For one, they were held a year late. And among other restrictions, spectators were [largely banned](, leaving Olympians performing in empty stadiums and arenas. Those barred included athletes’ families and friends, robbing the Olympians of their support system and fans back home from the characteristic Olympic experience of [watching parents lose their minds when their kid wins a medal](. The result, I guess, gave normie sports fans a glimpse of what a track and field meet or a ski race might be like when it’s not the Olympics, but the overall atmosphere suffered terribly. That was likely a major factor in a marked decline in viewership, with the Tokyo Olympics going down as the [least-watched Games ever]( — at least until [the 2022 Winter Games]( in Beijing. [France supporters are seen during the Men's Quarterfinal match between Team Germany and Team France] Alex Davidson/Getty Images The 2022 Winter Games in Beijing took place while China was still pursuing its draconian “zero Covid” policy, meaning the restrictions were [even more severe]( than they were in Tokyo. But more representative of the growing problems with international sporting events was the fact the Winter Games were in Beijing at all. Of the six cities that initially submitted bids to host the 2022 Winter Games, [four eventually withdrew]( their bids over cost concerns, including more obvious winter sports cities like Oslo and Stockholm. That left the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to choose between Beijing in China and Almaty in Kazakhstan — two autocratic countries with serious human rights concerns. Even though Beijing has averaged just 2.5 inches of snow a season and would need to [fill its venues]( with artificial flakes at [significant environmental cost](, the IOC went with the Chinese bid, largely because it was willing to spend big. According to an [investigation by Business Insider](, China may have spent [as much as $38.5 billion on the Games](. [Crowds of spectators stand in front of the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur during the Women's Road Race ] Antoine Gyori - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images The future of international sport is autocratic That number isn’t an aberration. The costs of hosting the Olympics have been [going through the stratosphere]( in recent years, and the ultimate price tag is [on average almost triple]( what the initial bid was. And it matters because if major international sporting events are going to cost this much, [fewer democratic countries]( that need to defend the costs to their citizens are going to be willing to host, tilting the table toward autocratic countries that worry less about public opinion. That was the case in the 2022 World Cup, held with no little controversy in the autocratic emirate of Qatar. To accommodate the country’s brutally hot climate, the tournament (usually held in the summer) was moved to November and December, disrupting the season for international club soccer. The lead-up to the tournament was marred by [allegations of bribery and corruption]( by the host country, while [dozens of migrant construction workers]( died in [harsh working conditions](. Captains of several European soccer squads were [set to wear rainbow armbands]( during the tournament, protesting the fact that [homosexuality is illegal in Qatar]( — until the international soccer body FIFA threatened the national teams with sanctions. [france's supporters cheer during men's volleyball semi-final match between Italy and France ] Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images Like the Beijing Winter Games, which featured a [number of diplomatic boycotts]( over the Chinese government’s human rights record, choosing Qatar to host the World Cup inevitably meant controversy. But the fact that Qatar was ultimately willing to spend [some $220 billion on it]( — almost 15 times as much as the 2014 World Cup in Brazil cost — apparently more than outweighed those concerns. And given that the previous host in 2018 was Russia, which came with its own suite of [diplomatic and political problems](, international soccer had already made it clear that a little controversy wouldn’t stop it. Oh, and while the host of the 2034 World Cup hasn’t officially been picked yet, we know it will be Saudi Arabia, with all its [attendant political issues](. That’s because the Middle Eastern kingdom — which among other plans has promised to [build a 92,000-seat stadium from scratch]( — is the only host to submit a bid. So we should enjoy the Paris Olympics while we can, with its vibrant sporting culture, gorgeous architecture, and (mostly) absence of major political or diplomatic controversies. Given the growing dependence of international sport on deep-pocketed autocratic governments, it’s likely to be the exception in the future. —[Bryan Walsh, editorial director](   [Listen]( Ecstasy Therapy: Bad trip A clinical trial for MDMA-assisted therapy showed promising results. But participants who say they suffered afterward allege their experiences aren’t reflected in the data. [Listen now](   THINGS I’M MAD ABOUT - Took you long enough!: Federal health officials have finally recommended doctors address the pain that women experience when having an IUD inserted. Happy about that, but boy did it take them a stupidly long time to listen to the resounding chorus of women shouting about this issue. [[NYT](] - CEO pay: According to a new analysis by the AFL-CIO, “A typical worker would have had to begin working in 1755 before the American Revolution to earn what the average S&P 500 company CEO made in just one year.” [[AFL-CIO](] - What dining out is like these days: In his final column after 12 years as the New York Times’ restaurant critic, Pete Wells puts his finger on what’s so bothersome about the “series of changes that have gradually and steadily stripped the human touch and the human voice out of restaurants.” [[NYT](] [A Russian battle tank T-72 drives outside the town of Sudzha on August 8, 2024. Ukraine's incursion into Russia, which entered a third day on August 8, 2024, appears to be an unprecedented assault which experts say could aim to draw Russian resources away from other areas or to undermine morale]( Anatoliy Zhdanov/Kommersant Photo/AFP via Getty Images AROUND THE WORLD - Ukraine launched an assault — into Russian territory: The surprise offensive earlier this week, which experts described as more serious than previous cross-border raids, has forced Russia to evacuate villages and deploy reinforcements to the area. [[WSJ](] - How Kamala Harris sees the world: Here’s what a Harris administration foreign policy could look like. [[Splinter](] - “Welcome to Hell”: B’Tselem, a leading Israeli human rights organization, has a new 100-plus-page report out about torture in Israeli prisons. [[B’Tselem](] ALSO IN THE NEWS - It Ends With Us is out today: The movie is based on a bestselling book by Colleen Hoover — an author readers love (and love to hate). [[Vox](] - Do celebrity endorsements matter?: Asking for Charli XCX, Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, and Kamala Harris. [[Vox](]   Ad   You’re wrong about PETA Jan Dutkiewicz makes the case that we should take the animal rights organization more seriously. [Read more »](   Are you enjoying the Today, Explained newsletter? Forward it to a friend; they can [sign up for it right here](. And as always, we want to know what you think. Specifically: If there is a topic you want us to explain or a story you’re curious to learn more about, let us know [by filling out this form]( or just replying to this email. Today's edition was produced and edited by Caroline Houck. You're in great hands with Lavanya, but I'll miss you all. [Find me on X]( if you want to keep up with my work.   [Become a Vox Member]( Support our journalism — become a Vox Member and you’ll get exclusive access to the newsroom with members-only perks including newsletters, bonus podcasts and videos, and more. 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