When I was growing up, the Olympics were a big deal. I recall watching hours of black and white TV, and writing and discussing it all at school. Now, the Olympics are taking place apparently and frankly, I could not care less. What happened?

The biggest issue was when they allowed professional athletes to participate. The value of the Olympics was that these were amateurs. They were people so dedicated to what they did yet it was a hobby. A secondary pursuit. To me, that was amazing dedication. When they allowed professional athletes in, everything changed. The Olympics became just another event for a bunch of over paid and egocentric characters to show off and enhance their personal fortunes. We are treated to spoiled immature individuals turning their backs on flags and national anthems or engaging in some other such childish antics to prove some point or other that frankly, doesn’t belong at the Olympics.

Not content until they politicise and spoil everything, the Olympics is like everything. Ruined by the politically motivated who are often the ones making the money and grabbing the ‘glory’.

Now we have the transgender issue – more politics, more nonsense to spoil the Olympics for everyone. They should simply create a transgender category but no, the vocal minority has a point to prove and prove it they will even at the expense of something as honourable and well meant as the original Olympics were.

With regret, I won’t be watching this sham Olympics and will take no interest whatsoever in winners and losers. It’s been hijacked by the politically motivated and turned into anything but the spectacle it is meant to be of dedicated amateurs being the best that they could be.