I’m not naïve enough to believe that sport can be a salve to a nation’s ills, but the Olympic Games could hardly have come at a better time for South Africans.

It will allow us to take our minds off the grubby politics, shrinking Rand and hopelessness that abounds.

The Olympics has its own problems, but the majesty of athletic competition will soon take centre stage. Rio, like South Africa in 2010, will have its rough edges, but the party vibe will resonate and the cheers will soon drown out the jeers. Such is the power of sport.

The self-absorbed golfers might argue, but the world’s focus will be on Rio where vibrant heroes like Usain Bolt will flourish for the final time and new heroes will emerge. Perhaps they will include Wayde van Niekerk, South Africa’s splendid track tyro. Maybe Seabelo Senatla will light up the Sevens field and give rugby a massive international resonance.

The quaint Corinthian ethos of the Games disappeared many years ago, but the Olympics is still where the best athletes, swimmers and gymnasts converge. An Olympic medal is everything to them, and to those who exist on the margins, participating in minor sports like shooting, table tennis and dressage, it is Olympian in every way.

The Olympics is unusual compared to other major events because we tend to get swept up only a day or two into the Games. No-one seems to care very much in the buildup, but after the first medal is claimed, interest levels shoot up. These Games will be difficult to watch, too, because of the time difference with Rio five hours behind. Only the most dedicated will rise at 2am.

Although the Olympics officially begin with the opening ceremony on Friday, the real start is on Wednesday when Banyana Banyana will be involved in the very first event, playing Sweden at the Olympic Stadium. A day later, SA’s under-23 men’s team plays the hosts. Pressure doesn’t get more severe than that.

Typically, SA team officials went out on a limb and proclaimed that 10 golds were the aim. This was a shrewd decision. The squad has largely been stripped down of its hangers-on and every performance will be scrutinised. Shirkers aren’t welcome.

It also serves as a target for the squad to aim for, particularly if the big names come to the party. While we all expect Van Niekerk, Caster Semenya and Chad Le Clos to win gold, others can also shift into medal-winning position; athletes like Sunette Viljoen, the Sevens team and the rowers, spread across five separate teams.

Semenya will emerge as one of the main narratives of the Olympics. Her back story is shot through with traces of sexism, racism and scientific mumbo-jumbo, suffice to say that the Court of Arbitration is satisfied with her physiological status. This is despite genuine concerns – issues few South Africans want to even consider – about whether the 800m race will be on the level. Expect this story to rage hard.

Some might argue that Semenya deserves nothing less than gold, especially as the 2012 winner, Mariya Savinova of Russia, is a proven doper. Semenya finished second in London.

The Olympics is where many of our more obscure world-class performers will enjoy a rare moment in the sun. On Saturday we’ll know all about Tanya Seymour and her horse. A day later, Julia Vincent will leap off the three-metre springboard.

KZN’s own Bridgitte Hartley will hit the water for the first time next Monday. Among the lesser known are China-based Jacob Malieka, who will be chasing shuttlecocks in Riocentro. Look out, too, for Kyle Dodd in men’s BMX, Ryan Patterson in gymnastics – the first South African gymnast to qualify for the Olympics in over 50 years – and Paula Reto in women’s golf.

Even so, South Africa will be little more than a bit-part player among the 10 500 other athletes. The superstars will draw us in, as will the upsets and the heroic dramas playing out all over Rio.

We can look at the problems and wring our hands, or revel in the grandeur of what the Olympics gives us: hope amid the chaos, glory amid the gaudy. – © Sunday Tribune