olive branch and Pandora’s box

The impact of the Olympic Games in Southeastern Europe has been striking, despite the French’s initial low enthusiasm and the weak demand for expensive tickets pointed out by Karina Dyakova in the Bulgarian newspaper Kapital. Paris 2024 was both an olive branch and a Pandora’s box for the people in the region, catalysing emotions of unity and awe but also bringing ideological and political conflicts to the surface .

The bright side

In an op-ed for Romanian cultural magazine Dilema Veche, sports commentator Radu Naum argued that “these Games killed it” with their diversity, originality, venue choices, and the smiling young competitors who conveyed to everyone that “life is beautiful.” In addition, Kapital’s Dimitar Kamburov described the opening ceremony as a “work of art,” the same newspaper portraying Thomas Jolly, the event’s director, as a “builder of capitalism.”

The Olympics have also given citizens of South East Europe plenty to cheer about. According to the official 2024 Paris Olympics ranking, 5 countries from the region were among the top 30 countries with the most medals: Romania with 9 medals (23rd position) ; Turkey and Greece with 8 medals each (26th position) ; Croatia and Bulgaria with 7 medals (30th position).

Orthodox outrage 

Voices from the Bulgarian and Romanian Orthodox Churches complained about the Olympic Games and their opening ceremony. The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church declared that the artistic images presented at the opening ceremony “contradict and are incompatible with the Christian evangelical morality,” the Bulgarian news portal Mediapool reported.

Also, former spokesman of the Romanian Orthodox Church Vasile Bănescu complained about the scene that allegedly resembled the Last Supper. “The real, hideous face of the ideologically possessed depraved who are not themselves if they do not mock, defy and tarnish all that is pure and holy,” he said on Facebook as quoted by Ioana Ion from Romanian newspaper Adevărul.

LGBTQIA+ Olympic volleyballer gets criminal complaint from Erdogan’s party supporter

After helping the Turkish women’s volleyball team reach the semi-finals at the Olympics, LGBTQIA+ player Ebrar Karakurt received a criminal complaint from a trending Justice and Development Party (AKP, islamo-conservative) supporter, known for trolling opponents of Erdogan’s regime. The complaint came after Karakurt rhetorically asked her team “guys, who is this jerk?” once the troller congratulated the Turkish team “except for the provocateur named Ebrar Karakurt,” according to the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet.

Serbian Olympians: to hug or not to hug President Vučić

The Games also provoked a number of political and personal reactions in Serbia. Dušan Mandić, the gold medallist and MVP of the water polo tournament in Paris, did not shake hands with Belgrade Mayor Aleksandar Šapić (Serbian Progressive Party, populist) at the reception organised for the athletes because of a personal feud, as reported by Aleksandar Pavlovic for Danas. In contrast to Mandic’s gesture, the Serbian Olympians did not hesitate to embrace President Aleksandar Vučić (also from the Serbian Progressive Party) at the reception, awarding him more political points. “I also understand the protocol and that it is normal to receive congratulations from the president of the country in other countries, but not necessarily a warm hug. He didn’t deserve it,” Danas journalist Uglješa Bokić wrote in a recent opinion piece. “Although I love sports, I cannot rejoice in sporting successes, while my country and my people are fighting and paying for that struggle because of the greed of this regime,” Bokić said.

More picks

Radu Naum | Dilema Veche | 07 August | RO

Romania lacks a coherent strategy for achieving sporting excellence, with Olympic success depending on the exceptional talent of individual athletes such as David Popovici, argues Naum. Without a well-structured national policy, sporting results are unpredictable and depend on small groups that manage to achieve success, and many potential talents are lost due to disorganisation and misallocation of resources.

Tasos Sarantis | Efimerida ton Syntakton | 22 August | EL

Efsyn reports on the strong opposition to Greek energy company Volton’s plan to install 37 wind turbines in the Natura 2000 protected area of Mount Taygetus in the western Mani (Peloponnese region). Local residents fear that the project will damage tourism, the local economy and the environment, as well as the region’s natural beauty and wildlife.

Rina Asani | Kosovo 2.0 | 22 August | EN

Linguistics student Rina Asani discusses the ongoing relocation of Prishtina’s iconic Xhevdet Doda High School, which has been moved several times since it was founded in 1971. The latest move, announced by the Prishtina Municipality, will see the school relocated to a new building in Kalabri. However, the decision has sparked significant opposition from teachers who fear that the move will have a negative impact on the quality and reputation of the school, leading to protests and petitions.

In partnership with Display Europe, cofunded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Directorate‑General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.