Political polarization affecting Brazil’s enjoyment of the Olympics

For many Brazilians, supporting athletes in this year’s Olympics has not been as straightforward as simply looking out for the famous green and yellow flag on the start list. Since the start of the process to impeach former President Dilma Rousseff at the end of 2015, through Jair Bolsonaro’s heated election win in 2018, and until today, Brazilian society has become highly fractured. Electoral arguments placed a wedge between families, friends, and coworkers, and public figures are often held up or torn down in accordance with their political viewpoints.

At the Tokyo Games, the situation remains the same.

Brazil has enjoyed a positive start to the Olympics, with excellent performances in swimming, skateboarding, and surfing — epitomized by 27-year-old Ítalo Ferreira’s gold medal in the inaugural Olympic men’s surfing competition.

What would usually be a reason for unbridled celebration has been replaced with cognitive dissonance. For many, as Ítalo Ferreira qualified for the surfing final earlier this week, their pressing concern was establishing whether or not the surfer supports current far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. While he may be Brazilian, does he represent their Brazil?

A cursory search for Ítalo Ferreira’s name on Twitter provides evidence that a significant share of the population find his political...