One would be naïve to believe that the Olympics are the soul-stirring magic they market themselves to be. Stories of cynicism, fraud and cheating are to a certain extent, true. Yet, the Games and the Olympic medals continue to have a sheen simply because they exemplify the human quest for excellence. Spectators are drawn to the Games because they still stand for old-fashioned virtues like hard work, sweat, blood ’n guts and courage, in a world of fast eroding morals.

There is that undeniable lure of seeing just how much man can push the envelope: are we ever going to see an 8-second 100 m race? It seems outrageous but the world would love to know. After all, just a few years ago, experts were scoffing at a sub-10 100m but it happened. So too, in other sports — how high can we jump? How much weight can we lift? The biggest lure of the Games is that the Olympics are still about striving to go beyonnd the limit.u00a0u00a0