Surely the Olympics are about sport and competitive sports stars competing to be the top of the elite at their particular sport in their own country and on a world stage where often countries compete against each other with individualist competitions as well as national, provincial or professional teams. I fear the spirit of sport is lacking in many modern attitudes to health where too many people can't be bothered to make a physical effort. Also this mental laziness reflects physically in the the workplace where attitudes worse than in the classrooms so often portrayed as the domain of ill discipline, are rewarded. Effort and income are hardly equal are they. What a joke to read in the Times a couple of weeks ago about an affordable hour of health pampering at £100. Easy come easy go and now you're (The average earning supposed £27,000) paying the price of false accounting. Of course it's competitive and individualistic, it's natural too and takes real effort.

James m, Sheffield,

Glad to see someone talking in real terms about the games. Ever since I was a child and we were forced to do projects on the games every 4 years in school (and some for the winter and summer games as well!) I've hated them. I guess we were to learn some lesson of team work and unity and achievment from them, but all I got was a rising sense of contempt for the high ideals these games force down our throats. Sport has always been a 'civilized' metaphor for war and I've always been deeply suspicious of any event that hinges on the victory of one and destruction of another. The games are merely an excuse for nationalism and are a commerically driven enterprise. I am glad I don't cable and don't have to deal with channel after channel of shotput anymore.

Dorian, London, Canada

It's nice (and rare) to read an appreciation of paradox and irony - at least on anything to do with sport.

Somebody (McCauley?) said: for civilisation to exist, a measure of hypocracy is necessary. He was probably right, but there is a limit, and the "Olympocrats" have gone way past it.

I just hope London doesn't spend too much of the country's money on this farce - but I'll bet it does..

Ken Leyland, Liverpool, U.K.

I could not agree more with what Mr Syed has put into words so articulately. However what is worse is the apparent willingness of the UK and other states to endorse and hail the IOC as some sort of whiter than white, humanitarian, responsible, non commercial organisation and to even change national laws to accomodate this swiss based business' monopolistic, dictaorial and anti-competitive practices. I too am a great supporter of the Olympics and Paralympics but lets not all so easily swallow this gabbage about it being an all good, benevolent force designed to create wealth, harmony and world peace.

Marina , London ,

I have always held the so-called 'games' in contempt but I wonder why Mr. Syed does not mention the debacle at the Munich Olympics when the Israeli olympians were murdered because they were Israelis by Islamics. The spirit of the Olympics surely died that day and nothing, but nothing, will ressurect, if it ever breathed, its pompous ideals.
Drugged to the eyeballs, brainless, ego laden nincompops. As for the IOC, arrrgggghhhh!!!!

John D, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

If the Olympics were anything close to being the triumph of something altruistic, as some hold them to be, we must raise the individual to their rightful position at the top and totally remove "countries", "flags", and "anthems" from it. As it is now, it is a war of nation against nation, apparently without bullets!

ken r, Wuhan, China