It would be easy to feel despondent if you look too hard at the negative aspects of this Olympics. The games appear to have a lingering malaise which will be tough to eradicate.
There were dodgy calls in the ring - not just for Irish fighters; allegations about one of our most prominent Olympic officials and, of course, the inescapable feeling that you can't really believe in some of those extraordinary performances.
Amidst all that, there have been some genuine moments which epitomise the ideals of the Olympic spirit.
In the men's 50K walk we saw Canadian Evan Dunfee turn down a chance to dispute being demoted to fourth place after he viewed the race and felt he did not have a right to the bronze medal. He said 'I will never allow myself to be defined by the accolades I receive, rather the integrity I carry through life.' An admirable philosophy.
A few days prior to that, there was also a laudable moment in a heat of the women's 5000m.
American Abbey D’Agostino and New Zealander Nikki Hamblin were handed Fair Play Awards on Saturday for what the IOC described as 'selflessness and exemplary sportsmanship'.
In a statement, the IOC explained outlined the moment which won the awards for the two athletes.
The D’Agostino and Hamblin story is one of humanity and sacrifice which has already captured the hearts of people across the globe. New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin tripped and fell to the ground during the 5,000m race, accidentally bringing American D’Agostino down behind her with around 2,000m to go. The 24-year-old D’Agostino was quick to get up again, yet instead of carrying on with her race she stopped to help the stricken Hamblin to her feet, encouraging her to join her in attempting to finish the race. However, during her tumble, D’Agostino suffered an ankle injury, slowing the runner down, but Hamblin sportingly hung back to in return offer her encouragements. The two women went on to complete the race together.
You can watch that moment between D'Agostino and Hamblin below.
Por su gran gesto olímpico, Nikki Hamblin y Abbey D'Agostino fueron recalificadas por los jueces y avanzaron pic.twitter.com/nTk0yHTPpP
— Sebastián Amaya (@sebaamaya) August 16, 2016
