The Olympic message has certainly been lost with Rio

The nations of the world funnel many of their finest athletes into Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad for an event that seems to be making more news even before the competition starts.

The Rio Olympics begin their 18-day run Friday, Aug. 5 with the opening ceremonies in the nearly 70-year-old venue known as the Maracana, the stadium that hosts both the torch lighting ceremony and the closing ceremonies, Aug. 21.

Perhaps in another year — or location — the games themselves might be the topic of conversation. But with Rio, it seems the competition is secondary to a variety...