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From KQED.

Yeah. From KQED. From KQED in San Francisco.

I'm Alexis Madrigal. The Olympics began in just 10 days, but of course for the athletes who make it to Paris this year, it'll be the culmination of a lifetime of training and dedication.

Geopolitics has always been a part of the modern Olympics, and this year is no different don't expect to see the russian team competing

for example but the bay area is sending a strong contingent and we'll talk with several athletes

and the chronicles and kylian about the storylines and sports to watch out for that's all coming up next

after this news.

Welcome to Forum. I'm Alexis Madrigal.

The Olympics were designed to be, and perhaps sometimes are, a safe space for nationalism. The games were meant to replace real war with symbolic war among the nation's athletes,

and indeed there's something different about a USA chant before a Shikari Richardson race

than there is about a USA chant almost anywhere else. Still, the hierarchy of

nations, the Olympics establishes, the huge business it has become, the international authorities

...