'Olympic failure': Ingraham sounds off on 'woke-ism' polluting formerly unifying event
The Tokyo Games feature an 'overload of Olympians who think we somehow care about their political views,' host says.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Laura Ingraham laid out what she called the "Olympic failure" of this year's games in Tokyo Friday on "The Ingraham Angle."
The far left's "woke" doctrine has infected yet another aspect of American, and in this case global, life, she said.
"We had obscene and unnecessary COVID rules – even for healthy young athletes leading up to [the opening ceremony]," she said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"A ban on most spectators, and an overload of Olympians who think we somehow care about their political views: Come on, there will be great performances, no doubt, but how boring is the lead-up," she remarked.
This new Olympic experience, she said, lies in stark contrast to the collective memories of past Olympics – naming the U.S.' upset of the Soviet hockey team in 1980, the "mesmerizing" talent of Baltimore-native swimmer Michael Phelps in the 2010s, and the gymnastics performance of Columbus, Ohio-native Simone Biles at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympiad.
"Whether it was President Reagan opening the 1984 Olympics or Bill Clinton in 1996 in Atlanta, we rallied because we loved the country and we loved our athletes. And for a few weeks, we all put our differences aside about pretty much everything else. But today, things are different," she lamented.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Now there are millions of Americans disgusted by the U.S. Women's soccer team not because they lost to Sweden, but because they used the international stage to insult our nation. This isn't what the Olympics is all about."
Ingraham went on to note that the International Olympic Committee, now led by 1976 West German foil gold medalist Thomas Bach, used to prohibit public protest at the games.
"But, no longer," the host said. "Meaning, we are going to get a lot more, not less, of what we don't want to see."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She went on to describe the "absurdity" that the IOC promulgated by allowing biological male athletes to compete in women's events:
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"New Zealand's Laurel Hubbard will lift in the superweight category – shamelessly taking a spot from a female competitor. Ditto for the USA's Chelsea Wolf riding in Freestyle BMX – and Canada's Stephanie Barrett in Archery," Ingraham said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Just today it was announced that German Olympic gymnasts will be wearing unitards to combat sexualization in gymnastics. The Olympics has sadly become one more experience ruined by self-promoting wokesters. It is sad that some are more concerned about social media brand building when what we actually want is their great competition."
"Today it's a hard call as to which is more monolithically, militantly left-wing: Academia or the entertainment industry. Now, sadly, the same thing has happened to the world of sports, and in the end, no one ends up getting a medal."