Oly-over

It’s always bittersweet to see the Olympics close out. You know it’s coming, but for a couple of weeks you get drawn into that special world. Other sports don’t matter so much. The same goes for a lot of other things that you normally follow — or obsess over.

It’s hard to imagine that we will ever again see a performance like the one Michael Phelps turned in. Records are supposedly made to be broken, but eight golds for one athlete is mind-boggling. Even the three lopsided wins by Usain “Lightning” Bolt don’t compare.

In the short run, China seemed to have gotten more from the games than it gave.

In exchange for the honor of hosting the games and the world recognizing it a major power, China was supposed to relax the police state for a few days.

It didn’t. It didn’t allow any demonstrations at the three Orwellian “official protest zones.” It kept journalists on a tight leash with none of those annoying interviews with dissidents.

That’s frustrating. But maybe in the long run, China was affected by the games in subtle ways it can’t control, in ways that will undermine the party bosses.

London and 2012 seem so far away. What will rowers and rhythmic gymnasts and badminton players do until then? … More importantly, what will we do?