NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace takes a stand against the Olympics

In a recent episode of 'Coffee with Kenny', NASCAR vet Kenny Wallace said he would boycott the Summer Olympics this year. Although the reason wasn't clear and he avoided taking a political stance, there have been several controversies revolving around this year's event (which started on 26th July and will continue till 11th August), which might be why Wallace said, "They screwed up at the start".

NASCAR is not coming back on NBC Sports before August 11. Therefore, as of now, watching the Olympics is perhaps the best mode of entertainment for people who love competitive sports and Kenny Wallace is one of those people.

"I like competition," Wallace said. "I wanna see who's the fastest runner, I wanna see who's the fastest swimmer...it's the Summer Olympics (and) I wanna see who's the best. But on the other hand, I can't do it."

The immediate question that follows the decision is: Why can't Kenny Wallace watch the Paris Olympics? What exactly are the political reasons that made the former NASCAR driver protest against the multi-sport event?

"I do not want to watch those Olympics because I wanna protest. Usually, I just do what I wanna do but, 'Herman don't talk about politics; you'll lose half of your friends'...so I'm not gonna talk about politics...I'm gonna boycott these Olympics. I'm not gonna watch 'em because they screwed up at the start." he added.

Although the nine-time Xfinity Series winner did not say how the officials have "screwed up", let's dive deeper into the controversies that overshadowed the inception of the coveted event.

Several controversies marred the start of the 2024 Olympics

According to reports dating back to September 2023,the then-French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera had announced that, to observe secular rules of the state, French athletes would not be allowed to wear hijabs. One of the largest European Muslim communities resides in France; therefore, this announcement did not resonate well with many.

Moreover, the Nike track kit for women has been termed "a costume born of patriarchal forces" by retired American track and field athlete, Lauren Fleshman. The attire for women is a leotard with a high-cut bikini line, that for several athletes like Fleshman, was too revealing.

US Paralympic athlete Jaleen Roberts reflected on the same saying (via aljazeera.com):

"This mannequin is standing still and everything’s showing... imagine MID FLIGHT."

Another controversy appeared in the form of a spy drone, hovering over New Zealand's women's soccer team during practice. The cops promptly tracked down the pilot, who was a member of Team Canada, the defending champions.

As a result, Canada's head coach, Bev Priestman along with two other staff members were ejected. Besides that, the Canadian Olympic Committee issued a public apology and said that the staff members of the Canadian soccer team would go through an ethics training session soon after the incident.

To add to it, Japan's star gymnast Shoko Miyata stepped down from contention after violating the team's code of conduct. The 19-year-old athlete had reportedly drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes. Although the legal drinking age in Japan is 20, officials have stated that violating the team's code of conduct was the bigger offense.

Other controversies include British rider Charlotte Dujardin withdrawing from the competition for allegedly whipping her horse during a practice session from several years ago. Furthermore, Israeli athletes have been banned from taking part in the Olympic games against the backdrop of their attacks on Gaza, resulting in a shocking number of deaths.