Some of the special athletes who elevated these Olympics

Veteran sportswriter Richard Deitsch takes an international view of the Olympics.

There was once a time when Sports Illustrated was a global sponsor at the Olympics and one of the perks for being a financial media lion amid this international world was that knucklehead writers such as myself had perks we could only dream about in real life. 

I can distinctly remember travelling with the late Grant Wahl, arguably North America’s greatest soccer writer, to the final Sports Illustrated party of the 2004 Olympics. Here I was in Athens, the heartbeat of civilization, at a corporate bacchanal held at an open-air beach club with Olympians and high-end booze everywhere. A billionaire would be embarrassed by the excess, and Grant and I both laughed at the absurdity of the moment as we drank in the Aegean Sea surrounding us. 

When you are at the Olympics, it is hard not to get caught up in the myth the IOC sells. Indeed, what a wonderful world this could be, especially with an expense account. 

The Olympics has many issues and it would take a dissertation to list them all here. But what always remains true as every Olympics concludes — the athletes save the Games every time. CBC Sports gave me an incredible assignment to write about the Winter Olympics every day from a global perspective. It was the first time for me covering the Olympics away from the site. I experienced everything through a screen, be it watching on traditional channels such as CBC or the amazing experience on CBC Gem. It provided a viewing experience far greater than I possibly could have had if I were in Milan or Cortina. 

The drawback, of course, is not being able to see the scenes with your eyes. Nor can you gain insight from the competitors on the whys