Too much advertising. Doping. The wrong sports. Obscene amounts of money being spent on too few people. Crass displays of national pride bordering on xenophobia. The chequered history of the IOC. It's all just a game, anyway.
You can pick a lot of holes in the Olympic Games. There is no easier target.
But you can't ignore it. It will dominate newspaper pages, television screens, lunchtime conversations and school projects for the next 16 days.
Pure sports fans will be in heaven with the orgy of elite action in 26 sports, but even those who rarely dabble in athletic pursuits will find something or someone that unexpectedly captures their attention.
For all the excess, there remains something magical about the Olympics.
With luck, the lasting memories of London 2012 will be the moments of character, sweetness and human dignity that Baron Pierre de Coubertin had in mind when he revived the games.
It all begins at 8am today (NZ time) with an opening ceremony planned by Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle.
Highlights for New Zealanders over the opening weekend include rowing and swimming heats (both nights), the men's cycling road race tonight, with former Dunedin rider Greg Henderson involved, and the Black Sticks women playing Australia tomorrow night.
Athletes from Otago, or with strong links to the province, in London include:
• Alison Shanks (cycling): Team pursuit, August 5, from 5am
• Hamish Bond (rowing): Pair, heats July 28, 11pm; final, August 3, 9.20pm
• Nicky Samuels (triathlon): Women's race, August 4, 8pm.
• Hugo Inglis (hockey): Black Stick men v Korea (July 30, 7.30pm), v India (August 2, 12.35am), v Netherlands (August 3, 9.45pm), v Belgium (August 5, 7.30pm), v Germany (August 8, 8.15am).
• Greg Henderson (cycling): Road race, July 28, 9pm; time trial, August 2, 1.15am
• Andrew McMillan (swimming): Men's 4x200m freestyle relay, July 30-August 1
• Fiona Bourke (rowing): Quadruple scull, heats July 28, 8.50pm; final August 1 from 8.30pm
• Fiona Paterson (rowing): Double scull, heats July 30 from 8.30pm; final August 3, 9.30pm
• Cam Howieson (football): Oly Whites v Egypt (July 29, 11pm; v Brazil (August 2, 1.30am).
