Catherine's column: Is this really the Olympic dream?

The modern Olympic games began as an amateur competition to showcase sport and athleticism in 1896. Professionals were unable to compete in the games. There is something truly inspiring about an Olympic or World Champion – at the top of their game – pushing themselves to the limit physically and mentally to achieve the ultimate prize whilst also holding down a job.

It is not money that gets them in the gym, training early in the mornings or late at night, pounding the track or streets when most of us are curled up on the sofa watching Sewing Bee. They are not visualising the winner’s cheque but rather the trophy, the medals, the accolades. It is the desire to achieve the title of Olympic or World Champion that drives them. Their motivation to achieve is intrinsic. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things

The IOC do not pay prize money – they claim that they want to stay true to their values, but they do allow athletes competing at these games to be paid, to be professional. World Athletics are backing up their Diamond League bonuses with payments made to athletes in France. Heck, even the now unaptly named Amateur Boxing Association has declared that it will make payments to podium placed athletes. Our Fijian sevens men will be taking home prize money for their silver medal. GB men and women have been paid the same in the build up to these Olympic games. Most athletes taking part in these games are professional or semi-professional. And some France 2024 stars like Dupont have not been made by the Olympics in the same way that a Steve Redgrave, Cathy Freeman or Simone Biles has been.

There is nothing ordinary about Dupont. Dupont was a star already; he danced his way onto the Olympic pitch propelled by a glittering 15’s career. He is now an Olympian and Gold medallist Olympian, but he has not trained specifically for it. Is this the Olympic Dream? Does this really tell the story and stay true to the values of the games? Andy Murray has enjoyed the Olympics over the years, so much so that he has named it his last tennis tournament appearance. But Wimbledon is the top of the tree for him. Is this the Olympic Dream? When Tennis players squeeze it into their world tour schedule. Is this the Olympic Dream? This is something that does not quite sit well with me. If the Olympics are not the pinnacle competition for your sport, or for you as an individual, then it should not be there. It devalues the games. It makes me turn the TV off.

Do the Olympics have the same appeal? Are we ever going to get the Eric the Eel and Eddie the Eagle Edwards stories that we all love so much? Eddie the Eagle was earning a basic salary as a plasterer before he hit the headlines. Eric the Eel (Moussambani) was not a professional swimmer; far from it – he couldn’t swim when he was accepted into the team and had never swum the length of a 50-metre pool before the games. There were none in his home nation of Equatorial Guinea. An incredible story that gets more incredible when you follow his post games journey, He learnt to swim properly and posted some incredible times. He worked hard and honed his trade, progressing to eventually become the national team coach. I would watch the film of his life. It might even inspire me to head down to my local pool and swim some lengths. And I hate swimming.

Where are these inspiring stories in Rugby? Where are the ordinary people doing extraordinary things? Sophie Hemming was my training partner for much of my England career. I was completely inspired by her. Not just because of her dedication to hone her scrummaging craft but because of how she balanced her life. She was a vet. And not just any vet, a large animal vet. She would regularly be up in the middle of the night attending a calving but there she was at 7am the next morning ready for training. There was never an excuse. Every ‘t’ was crossed, and every ‘I’ was dotted. That is what earned her a World Cup winners medal. Her motivation was not money (there was none) – her motivation was simply to be the best she could be in her position to ensure the success of the team. Her style of tight-head prop did not bring much individual glory, but she was instrumental in that World Cup winning victory. Is Dupont inspiring other than his skills on the pitch?

He waltzed into the Olympic 7s like a celebrity graces their presence on a red carpet. Playing just enough qualifying tournaments to be eligible to compete. His one redeeming feature for me was that he scored one try from a driving maul! Maul aside, will 7’s in the Olympics and the stardust of Dupont draw more participants to the game? If its gloss has been tainted with the move to professionalism perhaps there is still some shine. Perhaps the Olympic platform will inspire more of us to get off our sofas and get moving.

I was glued to the TV watching Synchronised Diving a few days ago – I was completely in awe of what they were able to do but I have zero intention of trying that out. I am terrified every time I have to go down the water slide at the local swimming pool with my 5-year-old daughter.

Tom Pidcock – a professional since 2021 – truly inspiring in Mountain Biking but I have no intention of going out to buy a mountain bike and tear up the paths. A nice leisurely stroll is fine for me. Leisurely stroll is not an Olympic sport.

The USA’s Rugby 7’s star Ilona Maher has had an extremely ‘healthy’ social media following of approx. 3 million across TikTok and Instagram. Catapulted into this position following her posts during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. According to World Rugby there are 2.7 million female players globally. This figure is less than Ilona’s individual following. Why? Is it ok that we have more people following one individual than we do playing the game?

Will the Olympic platform increase participation in rugby? Will Dupont’s sparkle and Maher’s social media presence help to drive participation? GB Rugby have competed in every Olympics since 2016 but Rugby Union participation numbers decreased every year from 2016 until 2021. There has been a slight increase since then, but current numbers remain lower than in 2016. So, what is the point of Olympic sevens? Is it to demonstrate Olympic amateur values? Is it to demonstrate the sport of rugby to a wider audience? Is it to give a small number of players the chance to enjoy themselves on the Olympic stage? Quite possibly. Where is the Return on Investment?

Written by former England captain, Catherine Spencer.