I think it's to send a message that many people feel disinterested in the olympics for whatever reason.

For me, I am disgusted that the the olympics have turned into a corporate money making machine. Hosting countries will pick a huge chunk of land to "terraform" into a games site, with little regard to the people who live there or nearby. They'll displace residents, make people build the infrastructure for low wages and in poor conditions. They'll spend billions to try and make snow where snow doesn't naturally occur. The ecological impact alone is massive. There's also the issue of the housing for the Olympians being substandard and dangerous. I'm not claiming that this happens every time in every country, but it's certainly a problem and I don't want to be part of it.

There's also the issue of banning trans athletes from competing, which continues to be rooted in ignorance and hypocritical disagreements around what we define as fair. (Bring on the downvotes, I don't care.)

I debated posting this at all because it's off topic, but the question was asked so I gave my perspective.

To comment. What is yours?