And I still hate the nationalistic jingoism of the modern Olympics, compared to the original games of classical times, which focused on individuals not nations.

I'd never heard the term Olympic Truce before (or had forgotten), but it's an interesting history lesson about this Greek sporting tradition. Evidently, a truce between countries was enacted in the ancient Olympic era to allow athletes to travel unharmed for competition.

The modern Olympics and all the peripheral industries associated with it do appear to go against the tradition of ekecheiria (truce), glorifying nationalism rather than peaceful competition but maybe I'm oversimplifying.

On the other hand, with the top five medalling countries typically mirroring the UN Security Council, I find it hard to accept that these Games are primarily focused on the individual athletes.

Mike

PS. Good poem, particularly the format which seemed to emphasize the Queen falling out of the sky.