Every four years some of the best athletes in the world gather to take part in the supposed pinnacle of sports – the Summer Olympics. This edition of the games has had its share of great moments, moments that have brought Americans together in rare instances of national unity. These Olympics have also brought out some moments that we would all like to forget, but for the sake of this article, we will recap everything – the good, the bad and the ugly. 

The Good: 

Simone Biles, the American gymnast, has come from being virtually unknown to capturing the hearts of Americans en route to winning five medals, four of them gold. Biles has won with grace, congratulating her opponents and embracing her teammates in her success, all at age 19. Beyond her accomplishments in competition, she has been a role model for all athletes, regardless of age or specialty. 

Usain Bolt has given fans a legendary performance in Rio, reasserting his title as the world’s fastest man, with gold medals in the 100 meter and 200 meter dash as well as the 4×100 meter race. While Biles won her golds with a quiet humility, Bolt has won his with the moxie that fans have come to know and love, literally laughing with competitors through his 200 meter semi final. Some might see this as a slight to other athletes in the games, but in reality Bolt has become an icon and a role model in a sport that has increasingly been tainted by performance enhancing drugs. Bolt is clean, and the result has been legendary. 

The Bad:

The 1992 Barcelona Olympics brought to us the legendary US Men’s Basketball Team, otherwise known as the “Dream Team.” Jordan, Bird and Magic dazzled fans and decimated teams en route to a gold medal. The 2016 US Men’s Basketball Team ought to be just as dominant, with a roster consisting of future hall-of-famers, perennial all-stars, and the world’s brightest talent. However, the team has struggled with close calls to teams like Serbia and Australia, who have little to no NBA talent. In a sport where team play beats the talent of one individual, USA Basketball can’t seem to put aside their egos. They face off against Serbia in the finals for the prize of the gold. 

The Ugly: 

The Olympics are supposed to be a time of peace and competition, not robberies and apartment malfunctions. The same International Olympic Committee (IOC) that ensured the world that Rio would be ready for the onslaught of athletes and visitors to their city has been proven wrong time and time again. For instance, the Australian team had their apartment robbed during a fire drill, and the apartments for numerous teams weren’t completed in time, leading to a lack of furniture, occasional flooding and other disastrous results. Rio was in no way prepared for the Olympics, in their accommodations or their policing efforts. 

Even worse is the Ryan Lochte affair, both his bleach blonde hair and his fabricated story of being held up at gunpoint by fake Rio police officers. Lochte and two other American swimmers were out on the town when they decided to attempt to break down a gas station bathroom. After an altercation with a security guard, they tried to blame their troubles on the people of Rio and “fake cops,” a lie that the Rio police department brought to light. Lochte’s platinum blonde hair shined like a flashlight as he drunkenly tried to break down the bathroom door in a recently released video. 

The Rio Olympics have been far from perfect, but they have offered plenty to talk about.