Olympic Gestures: When Sport Goes Beyond Victory and Defeat at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Every Olympics is made of gesturespieces that settle in our memory and form our sentimental album. The 2024 Paris Olympics are no exception. There are the gestures of those who triumph, they are gestures that hark back to the epic. There are the gestures of those who lose, slip one step away from the finish line, give way to the opponent, curse the contrary stars and the short-sightedness of the referee. And then there are minimal gestures, which however leave a deep trace. They are gestures that remain in the memory because they bring with them the truth.

The gesture of John Totifor example. A boy from Chiari, in the province of Brescia. One of the many Italians present at the Paris Games. One of the least known, because he plays a niche sport, badminton. Toti – the perfect unknown – happened to beat Soren Opti, an athlete from Suriname, who has already been to the Olympics twice. At the end of the match, after having collected Italy’s first historic victory in this discipline, Toti reaches his opponent, crouches down next to him, and holds his hands. Opti is crying. He lost, and he lost in the least acceptable way: he was forced to retire because he was blocked by an injury. Toti consoles him. With a small but noble gesture. With all the empathy he can put into circulation, with a precious demonstration of humanity. With fair play, one might say: with an Olympic spirit.

The gesture of Odette Giuffridafor example. We know it, we saw it. The Italian judoka was removed from the podium for some – let’s say – decidedly questionable refereeing decisions. She was penalized, this is how the president of CONI, Giovanni Malagò, described the situation. When she lost the bronze, Odette didn’t lose her head. She accepted the injustice, because sport is – also – injustice. And he immediately thought of going to congratulate his opponent, Larissa Pimentawinner of the bronze medal without great merit. Here too, while Pimenta was crying (but this time with happiness), Giuffrida approached her, bent down on her knees, caressed her head with her hands and whispered in her ear words that only those who do sports can say with sincerity.

The gesture of Lazizbek Mullojonovfor example. He is an Uzbek boxer. He won the match, valid for the eighth finals, against the Italian Aziz Abbes Mouhiidinein the 92 kg category. In the ring, in truth, the winner was the Italian. Without a shadow of a doubt, for everyone except the judges who made a scandalous decision, awarding the Uzbek. In boxing, the moment in which the victory of a match is decreed, involves the referee in the middle of the challengers. He takes them by the hand, then raises the arm of the winner. It also happened between our Mouhiidine and Mullojonov. The referee raised the latter’s arm, at the same time a mask covered the face of the Italian. In that mask you could read disbelief, disappointment, anger. A disgrace, the Italian leaders called it. But the shame was mitigated – a little, but it was – by the small gesture of Lazizbek Mullojonov, who when he was awarded the victory he made – and he did it in a dramatic manner – a “No” sign with his finger, as if to say: it’s not fair, I don’t deserve the victory. A small gesture, but one that will remain over the years – more than the victory – to mark the difference between what is right and what is not. Athletes know it, spectators learn it.