Excellent article, with a magnitude of very very valid points.

London 2012 is a complete waste of time and money.

Joe, Liverpool, England

As a Paris resident, I was delighted when London won the 2012 games - Chirac's evident disgust was wonderful. Now I'm being transferred back to UK and I am less than happy about the prospect. Re education, bring back Latin & Greek, the alternative is the dumbing-down of the Times Crossword!

H, Puteaux, France

Not everybody has to enjoy the Olympics but it sure helps if you can spell. We have been throwing tax-payers money at the literacy problem for decades to no effect. Literacy levels have flat-lined in the last 50 years. So I'm with the Prof & his variant spellings as I value both literacy & my money.

NHJ, London,

What is the total government budget every year? 500 bn? 600 bn? I am being generous in the extreme when I am saying that a third is completely wasted. Worse perhaps, doing more harm than good. The Games may make me smile or weep a few times, so they are a real bargain in comparison!

Tim, London,

The Labour Govt will never by itself have the guts to chuck the 2012 Olympics. The Conservatives should move a Motion to cancel/withdraw from it. There would be considerable cross-party support. We simply do not need this ghastly immoral commercialised waste of money. Stop it NOW.

a j scott, draguignan, france

The olympics are a vast waste of money spent for the indulgence of a minority. If people want to indulge in sport, fair enough, let them and their loved ones enjoy their achievements. Why though should the rest of us support their indulgencies? The money could be better spent.

Ann, Bristol, England

The Olympics? I am underwhelmed with apathy.

Adrian Ryan, Donegal, Ireland

The commercialism of the Games has tarnished the joy of sport. I agree with that. One can certainly argue the priorities of funding a £10B sporting extravaganza to literacy. But I've got say the lessons learned in competing and pushing my body outweigh the occasional variation in my spelling.

Chuck Staples, Chelmsford, USA

Anyone who thinks spending £10 billion of public money on the Olympics is a good thing, needs to have their heads examined. The money should be spent on improving educational standards across the board as this would have more long-term benefits for the UK as a whole, rather than on glory seekers.

Ian Dickson, Brighton, UK

I can never stop being angry at the £10bn that 2012 will cost us, nor the lies and the spiteful pinching of cash from public pockets to help fund it. I like sport and I like watching it but that amount of money is simply obscene and unnecessary; offensive and disproportionate.

Will Duffay, London,

What a small-minded article. So you're not interested in sport? Fine. But why denigrate the commitment of those who have dedicated their lives to their sport? A choice they perhaps made because it wasn't open to them to become a high-minded pundit on the vapidity that is British politics.

Paul D, London,

Bah humbug! Yes, literacy levels aren't what they they should be but scrapping the games so we can all improve on our spelling? Go on girl, live a little!

Jon, London, GB

Perhaps spelling should be made and Olympic sport. It would receive it's required funding and schools will have another over-sized, epically arranged stadium to visit.

Thomas, Aberystwyth, UK

nulabour have poured money into education & health, much of both are still rubbish. The answer isnt more money but drastic reform. Nowadays the UK is rubbish so it is refreshing to see some of our elite, from years of self discipline. Some national pride would be nice too. Leave the Olympics alone

Cass, Hants, UK

Its not often you're right, and you're wrong again.

M Price, Manchester,

the olympics a 'celebration, a party'?

more like a combined ego trip and 'a nice little earner'

david c, purbeck,

I don't think Olympics spending has any bearing on literacy.

We do not need to spend more to achieve decent education levels. We have the infrastructure (schools) in place, and the staff (teachers) in there earning a living.

The task is to ensure that teachers do their job effectively.

David, Brill, UK

The Olympics sound cheap, compared to the war in Iraq, which is costing $8 to $11 billion a month. You could do quite a lot with that much. A 2012 Olympics every month.

Alex, Paris, France

The olympic model for sport - a tiny number of athletes watched by millions of couch potatoes - is a disaster for health.
No wonder every body is fat if sport is only for the elite.

Brummydoug, Birmingham, England

we could always go mad and spend the money on sport. Not the drug fuelled tantrums of some lycra clad egomaniacs and their hangers on. Just sport that teaches you to win and lose and how to develop life skills.

The antics of the Olympic movement are gross and disgusting.

Theresa Green, oxford,

Let the French have it - their TV coverage would be as good as anybodies, the chemically bloated joggers get their junket and we save £9.3 Billion, win-win.

James, London,

Rubbish! Education is already sufficiently funded. More money does not lead to better quality. It can be argued that schools 40 years ago were better than those of today at a fractioin of the cost. Sport teaches children ambition, teamwork, respect, discipline, which is what the youth of today need.

Grant, London,

What proportion of the huge cost actually goes on the core facilities and athletes' requirements - and how much gets diverted into the opening ceremony, other unnecessary fluff, marketing, PR, consultants' fees, etc.?

Chris K, Cheltenham, UK

Think it should be pointed out that in principle the Olympics are a source of large profit for the host nation and if handled properly will always exceed the cost of building facilities and other costs. But, with our government ,no doubt an easy profit making venture will leave us all out of pocket

joe thomas, Guildford,

Sport has always been elevated above it`s real importance.
Ask any woman who David Beckham is, she will know - he is a celebrity who can kick a ball around, sometimes very well.
Now ask her who invented the washing machine, a man who has done more for most women than (probably) any other - blank!

Darius Midwinter, London,

The Olympics bore me rigid. especially when I see repeats of an event endlessly.

Perhaps it just me, or maybe everybody is bored stiff as well.

Norman West, Truro, UK

Don't worry it's only taxpayers' money being wasted, and there is plenty more to be wasted where that came from - hopefully though, only until the next election.

Kris, London, England

Heer heer !

Norman Bird, London ,

No one ever mentions the carbon footprint of the Olympics. Not just the air miles but all those useless velodromes and other buildings that we are busy erecting.
If world leaders are serious about global warming, why not have one permanent Olympic village in a third world country paid for by all?

Laurence, Sherborne, Dorset

Without the Olympic games Russia might have been forced to wait for the release of the next Harry Potter book to distract world attention from invading a neighbouring country.

edward green, Upminster,

It said on the back of my tube map that 1 in 3 children in London lives in poverty. Could we not just make do with or adapt the many stadiums we have already and spend the rest of the £9 billion on getting food, shelter, warmth and inspiration to these children.

Alex , Oxford ,

What a sensible article, Alice. Sport should be considered as just a form of entertainment when considering its fiscal aspects. As such why should it need any public subsidies? If the likes of Coca-Cola think it is worth their marketing while to chuck a few million at an event - let them.

Gervas Douglas, Andorra la Vella, Andorra

Tired of the hoary old cliches about how sport prevents war and encourages goodwill between nations. Look around. This is a fascist dictatorship throwing a debutante ball and last time I looked people were killing each other quite nicely. The illusions The Games promote are part of the problem.

Andrew Barnes, London, uk

WE DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY!

The mega-billions thrown away on Northern Rock and the like have to come from somewhere. Gordon Brown neglected to save when that was possible, and Alastair Darling has wasted our credit.

We can afford a modest Olympics, but not the extravaganza the IOC demands.

Noel Falconer MEcon, COUIZA, France

What is this obsession with the money spent on Olympics could be spent on?
Thank god that everyone does not share this type of attitude - if they did, this world will be a very mundane place without any activity whasoever.
I wonder if these people who write these articles ever go on holidays?

Chanaka , Leicester, UK

Send the Olympics back to Athens, permanently. Perfectly good facilities still there, largely unused. We can all chip in to keep them up to standard, save the wasted billions and hubris, and still have the Games.

And if London 2012 ultimately costs 'only' £9b I'll eat my hat.

monica, guildford,

I think it is scandalous that the 2012 Olympics in London is being allowed to cost so much more than was planned. The cost should be slashed and heads roll.

Dr J Findlater, Carnforth,

Oliver, Leeds. Maybe you're right. Maybe if Hitler had spent a few billion more Marks on the 1936 games the 1940s would have been much more peaceful! Hmm...

Kevin Browne, Reading, Berkshire, England

How very untrue. The article really just shows the narrow, mean and foolish attitude of some, those without vision, and no understanding whatsoever of human nature. I hate sports, but most people love them and I know that the Olympics will achieve far more than spending money on items like spelling!

Arthur Riding, Marlborough,

Simon in York, I went to a party this past weekend. A good time was had by all, and it didn't cost £9.3 billion.

C. Heathcote, Tonbridge,

Some good points but I believe the Olympics and sport in general, is very important for humanity. Better to spend money on games than on stupid things like war.

Oliver, Leeds, UK

You have obviously never witnessed the confidence/friendships/enthusiasm for life, gained by individuals involved in sport. It is a celebration, a party.

Based on your investing in 'useful' things, why not ban all parties, drinking for fun, reading, etc etc? These are all 'useless'.

Simon, York, England

The funding required to run an Olympic games should be spent on solar energy programs. Once we have a totally renewable energy supply other priorities should be funded. Britain should hand the games over to a country which already has the facilities inplace.

JIm Wills, Brisbane, Australia

How very very true - from a person who finds himself overwhelmed by his complete indifference to the Olympic nonsense !!!

Ciaran Brady, Surrey, UK