Once again, the Olympics are upon us. The Games of the XXXI Olympiad officially open on Saturday (our time) with a ceremony at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, in what the host nation has already promised will be the "sexiest" ceremony in the history of the modern Games.
Let's hope it will finally wash away the many months of scandal, serious doping allegations and health fears that have tarnished the lead-up to the 31st Olympiad.
The critics may sneer, but the lighting of the flame marks a special moment.Credit:AP
In particular, it has been the revelations of Russia's systemic state-sanctioned doping program, and the banning of many of the country's athletes, that have cast a cloud over Rio. So has the health and safety fears brought on by poor sanitation, an outbreak of the Zika virus resulting in some competitors withdrawing and the plight of Rio's millions of impoverished citizens.
It must be said that no Olympics are without issues and concerns. The weeks before the Sochi games were dogged by terrorism fears. In Greece, it was the construction of the facilities and claims of corruption. In Atlanta, it was allegations the United States and major sponsor Coca-Cola had "bought" the Games.
It shouldn't be forgotten that in 1956, Melbourne so badly botched its preparations that the head of the International Olympic Committee, Otto Mayer, suggested the Games should be moved to another country at the last minute because of local "confusion, deficiencies, neglect, squabbles, procrastination and wretched petty jealousies".
All of those Olympiads went ahead without major problems. For the sake of the Olympic movement, and all it stands for, let us hope that these Games are conducted in a spirit of generosity and sportsmanship.
The next fortnight is a chance for the world and humanity to be seen at its best. The critics may sneer, but the lighting of the flame marks a special moment. The vast majority of the world will be enthralled by the Games, and the sight of young men and women competing at the very peak of human physical powers.
Despite the much publicised shortcomings, the modern Olympics are a truly magnificent event. It is a kaleidoscope of colour, at which 10,500 men and women of 207 different nations will compete across 31 sporting disciplines.
Many Russians might be banned, but Rio will mark the first time athletes from Kosovo and South Sudan will take part. Some form part of a "Refugee" team, which will compete under the flag of the Olympics. Its 10 athletes come from South Sudan, Syria, DR Congo and Ethiopia. For these athletes just competing at Rio, and being able to call themselves Olympians, already marks the very pinnacle of sporting heroism and endeavour.
Over the next 15 days, legends will be forged and heroes made. The vast majority will not win a medal.
In Sydney, it was Eric "the Eel" Moussambani who is among the best remembered, the swimmer from Equatorial Guinea whose time for the 100m freestyle was more than double the next slowest competitor.
It was also his personal best, and a national record, and lived up to the famous dictum of Baron de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics: The important thing is not to win, but to have competed.
As Russia's doping scandal in the lead-up to his Olympics showed once again, the age of innocence in sport is lost, if it ever really existed in the first place. But the top of the Olympic podium is still the pinnacle of world sport. It is the place where so many of the heroes and legends of our country have made their mark, in this sport-obsessed nation of Australia.
So let us all suspend our cynicism for the next 15 days. It is a time to celebrate and to marvel as the best young men and women athletes strive to go faster, higher and stronger.
Let the Games begin.