Eternal construction of the absurd

Historian and sociologist Yuri Topper continues to excursion into the history of modern Olympism

The historian and sociologist Yuri Topper continues to excursion into the history of modern Olympism. The beginning is here , here , here , here , here and here .

"O sport! You are a architect! You help to find the proportions of the most perfect creation of the nature of a person triumphing in victory and crushing in failure. You are a master of harmony. You make us strong, dexterous, stately, correct the shortcomings with which we are born. You are a special, unusual architect. Your building material is in motion. You have proved that the eternal movement is not a dream, it is not a descent. Eternal movement is a sport. "

The well -known translation of the text of the Kubertenovskaya "Oda Sport" belongs to the pen of journalist V.A. Novoskoltsev. In a sense, this is an author’s translation.

"I did not look for the exact textual coincidence. I was not constrained by the need to maintain the size of the poem. I only sought to express in my language the thoughts of Pierre de Cubertin about sports," wrote V. Novoskoltsev.

Other options for the creative translation of the text "Oda" are also known.

"Oh, sport, you are beauty! You are an architect of this building - a human body, which can become miserable or majestically beautiful depending on whether it will be desecrated by low passions or carefully cherished by healthy aspirations. There can be no beauty without posture and proper proportion, and you are an incomparable master of both, since you create harmony, you fill the movement with rhythm, you make power. graceful ".

Discussing the nature and paradoxes of modern sports architecture, we will use the fullness of the transfers presented.

Pierre de Cuberten wrote about the value of ancient creativity in his "memoirs":

"Reviving the institution that existed 25 centuries ago, we wanted you to once again become followers of the sport religion conceived by our predecessors."

I leaf the monograph by Yu. V. Shanin "Olympic Games and the Poetry of the Hellenes."

"Hellenes - people with a highly developed aesthetic feeling - have always appreciated the beauty of a perfect human body and its movements. The plastic charm of running. The mighty muscle tension in the struggle, the indescribable beauty of the horses rushing along the hippodrome - all this pleased the eye of the Hellenic, which equally revered both strength and harmony."

Arnold Schwarzenegger and his main movie hero - Terminator

The ancient philosopher Isocrates remarked: "If athletes double their strength, then this does not bring any benefit to others, while the wisdom of one person can be useful to everyone who wants to learn from him."

Aristotle condemned parents and peditribs (coaches), who "introduce athletics, crippled the figure of children and preventing their development."

Yu. V. Shanin "Olympic Games and Poetry of the Hellenes."

The "architecture" of the ancient world not only pleased the eye. The program of the Olympic competition included a fist fight. In ancient times, he had much fewer adherents than all other types of ancient sports. The brutal fights of fist fighters often led to serious injuries, sometimes to the death of one of the opponents. The faces of many athletes wore traces of terrible blows, their features were almost always disfigured.

Truly, "the body can become miserable or majestically beautiful, depending on whether it will be desecrated by low passions or carefully cherished by healthy aspirations."

Let's pay attention to a fragment of the translation of Novoskoltsev: "Sports, your building material is a person in motion."

Nowadays, "building material" is used ruthlessly.

Modern preparation of the Olympic level gymnast requires 7-8 hours of exhausting daily training. And there are still special requirements for the "material".

R. Knysh : "During the training, I do not see people in my students. For me, this is material, muscle group, and my task is to make these muscles do something incredible, that the whole world will be surprised."

The body can become miserable or majestically beautiful depending on whether it will be desecrated by low passions or carefully cherished by healthy aspirations

The phenomenon of gymnastics is a four -time Olympic champion Olga Korbut. With a height of 1.53 meters and weight, a little more than thirty kilograms, she could perform complex elements inaccessible to physically larger athletes. Coach Renald Knysh was frank: "She has the appearance of the one that I need ... So I am preparing a grandiose deception for all of humanity ..."

Is it possible to resist technological absurdity?

It happened that such was a two -time Olympic champion, the unforgettable "Bride of Mexico City" Natalia Kuchinskaya .

“Her performances were not very difficult, but fascinated. The log, the forces, the horse-these inanimate and insidious gymnastic shells, she loved with some unusual, understandable to her with one love." When I touch them, it takes me off to some other dimension, "Natasha said. She had to go out to the platform with a pure soul. And if there was a chance to someone before the competition by chance. Offended, it was oppressing the program.

And although she was extremely demanding of herself, she lacked stiffness and grip to fight for a place under the sun. One of the specialists will say later: "Such honest and clean natures in sports do not linger for a long time."

Now sports architecture is most subordinated to the Olympic show. Everything is not easy here. On the one hand - solemn obligations of the Olympic Charter:

"Olympism is a philosophy of life, exaltation and uniting into a balanced whole dignity of the body, will and reason. Olympism connecting sports with culture and education strives to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, on the educational value of a good example and respect for the universal basic ethical principles."

Soviet gymnast, Olympic champion Olga Korbut

On the other hand, the need for an increasing acuity of the Olympic spectacle. It is not only about its commercial value. In the book "Manipulation of Consciousness" S. Kara-Murza writes about the creation of the "Society of the performance". Billions of spectators of the Olympic Games become witnesses of performances and consumers of events of various ethical value.

The fights of women are immoral and disgusting. There were no question of fist battles in the Greek ancient world. The battles of female agents were the savage achievement of the Roman circus.

Pierre de Cubertena brought a trial demonstration of women's boxing at the III Olympics (St. Louis, 1904). Other times have come. The Women's Ring was the highlight of the 2012 London Olympics. In Rio, boxing of three weight categories will be released in the ring. The performance is an amateur. There is "educational value of a good example."

Another sports architecture of the past century is bodybuilding, “bodybuilding”.

“When your muscles are pouring by force, you will raise your head above. You are aware of yourself in a new quality, get self-esteem, you will look at others differently. The world will change at the same time that you will happen in you. And this, of course, will be changes for the better. You will make this choice yourself,” wrote P. Simonenko .

Half a century ago, world sports life was replenished with contests " Mr. Universe " and "Mr. America".

The genius of mighty bodybuilding is Arnold Schwarzenegger. The creator of fantastic muscles becomes the hero of world cinema. In 1984, James Cameron was making Terminator. Arnie talentedly simulated the gait of the villain-Kiborg. "The role of the terminator is more than just a role. This word has become a household name in all languages of the world ." The next step is the change of the genre, success in a different career: Schwarzenegger is the Governor of California.

A few words about the technology of architecture. Power training is aimed at muscle hypertrophy and the elimination of fat deposits. An integral part of training is the formation of muscle relief and a distinct venous pattern on muscular tissue.

On average, an ordinary person eats three times a day. The bodybuilders try to eat 5-7 times a day (every 2-3 hours). It turned out not enough.

In bodybuilding, anabolic steroids were openly used. Until 1990, these drugs were considered legal means of muscular technology.

Bodi-zoemicism came to world women's sport. The most prestigious and “award” competition is “Miss Olympia”. The first winner of the competition is Rachel Maclish (1980). But there is a difficulty: genetically women are not adapted to artificial muscle hypertrophy. The solution to the problem is a male hormone testosterone.

The consequences of the new effective "live technology" :

- gynecomastia - chest hypertrophy in men;

- "Masculinization" - the transformation of the body of women by male type;

- insufficiency of the work of the kidneys and liver;

- coronary heart disease, heart attack;

- Atrophy of the testicles in men, infertility, erectile dysfunction;

- The side effect of the use of steroids is aggressiveness.

At the beginning of 2000, the organization of the International Federation of BodyBuilders & Fitness received full membership in the International Olympic Committee. Then the IFBB tried to approve bodybuilding as a full -fledged type of Olympic program. The first attempt failed, "since many have not yet recognized culturalism sports." Believe me, it's still ahead.

"You are a special, unusual architect" ... Surely Pierre de Cuberten, the current sports body-bustling would have considered an absurdity. Or maybe the opposite is the opposite - the romantic faith of Cuberten "in the eternal movement" is absurd in the "Religion of Sports, conceived by our predecessors"?