Rozner: Despite the IOC, Olympics still great theater

It was Mark Twain who said that, "Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand."

Maybe he was right. Then again, he might not have envisioned the frightening contradiction that is the International Olympic Committee.

In the IOC's charter, it states - under "Fundamental Principles of Olympism" - that "Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind.

"Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles."

Yeah, this is where you laugh. The IOC? Universal fundamental ethical principles?

"The goal of Olympism," states the charter, "is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity."

They're not laughing in Beijing, Sochi or Rio, where the preservation of human dignity included the dragging of people from their homes, sometimes beaten and bloodied, a life demolished to make room for facilities that will be obsolete and abandoned in short order.

Furthermore, states the IOC, "The Olympic Movement is the concerted, organized, universal and permanent action, carried out under the supreme authority of the IOC, of all individuals and entities who are inspired by the values of Olympism."

If you're not laughing yet past the tears of the locals, at least acknowledge the supreme authority of the IOC.

That part we understand too well.

And it goes on and on and on, a laughable quagmire of bull snot and refuse, not all that dissimilar from the raw sewage running through the streets of Rio - and with an odor closely related.

It is far less philosophy than pure folly.

The modern Olympics were supposedly inspired from the Games that took place in Ancient Greece, designed to bring people of different worlds together to break down actual barriers and boundaries, to find commonality and kinship.

It's almost the same now, minus all of the above and mostly to fill the coffers of the IOC and line the pockets of their members.

Yeah, it would be easy to hate the Olympics, if you were so inclined.

The Games have given you every opportunity, from the decades of corruption by the IOC, to the doping scandals of the Eastern Bloc - and today the Russians - to the pall cast over Rio by land stolen from the poor and the trail of toilet water that spills into rivers, lakes and bays.

Every couple of years we're put through the same tug-o-war, knowing the Olympics reek of disgraceful behavior by those charged with charging locals for the privilege of being taxed and ravaged by the IOC.

And still, the Games are great because of those who have spent their lives training for a single moment.

It is breathtaking to see the commitment and the result.

It is still sport, and sport at its essence is good. It is competition and it is healthy and it is entertaining.

If you can look past the filth that is the governing body of these Games, you see the great struggle, the great athletes and the great stories.

They were everywhere the last two weeks.

From the greatest sprinter ever - Usain Bolt - to the greatest gymnast ever - Simone Biles - to the greatest swimmer ever - Michael Phelps - and maybe even the heir to the throne in the wondrous Katie Ledecky.

There were the spills and thrills, the sad and the happy, the possible and the impossible.

One year ago, 18-year-old Yusra Mardini fled the Syrian civil war in a small boat bound for Greece, and when the boat began to sink, she and her sister jumped in the water and for three hours pushed the boat to shore, saving nearly 20 others.

She traveled 1,500 miles through Turkey and central Europe before arriving in Berlin, where she trained for the Olympics … as a swimmer.

Having already won the race of her life, Mardini competed for the Refugee Team and came in seventh of eight in her heat of the 100 fly, finishing out of breath and with a grand smile.

Sport, we are reminded too infrequently, is not life and death.

Great stories were everywhere, and if you can look past Ryan Lochte and the forced schmaltz the broadcast shoves down your throat, it's still sport and the sport itself is enthralling.

So despite it all, including the IOC's horrific behavior, the Games were great again.

Maybe you didn't laugh, but a smile isn't so bad.

brozner@dailyherald.com

• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's "Hit and Run" show at WSCR 670-AM and follow him on @BarryRozner on Twitter.