When they launched the new anthem, everyone held their breath. They knew it was going to be great. The country would be proud — they had been proud of this composer before, and they knew he had it in him to make them proud again.

The anthem was meant for the games and there was a month left for them to begin. One month before athletes from across the world visited, participated and went back (hopefully with good memories, though they doubted it).

The games had been in the spotlight for ages and for the wrong reasons. Everything was running late and they wondered whether things would be ready on time.

At least they knew they could count on this composer, they said. But when his song was revealed, they were disappointed. They didn’t feel motivated or proud. It was a nice tune and all, but then again, there were many other nice tunes out there.  Give us another one, they said, shook their heads and complained.

Nobody noticed that this was the only component of the games delivered on time.