In an Olympic year it's reasonable to expect a fair few Olympics stories to attract the interest of our readers. This time though it was the stories behind the games that most captivated your attention. You also found time to keep up with developments in the Premiership and Formula One during an extraordinarily packed sporting year.

1 Sex and the Olympic city

The magical combination of sex and sport propelled Matthew Syed’s revealing glimpse behind the scenes at the Olympic village to the very top of our overall most read chart, where it reigned supreme from late August almost to the end of the year.

2 International Olympic Committee launches probe into He Kexin's age

The controversy over the young Chinese gymnast’s Olympic eligibility raged all summer and threatened to overshadow mainstream coverage of the games.

3 Max Mosley faces calls to quit as Formula One chief after Nazi orgy

A sports story that, frankly, had little to do with sport attracted worldwide interest in March 2008. Lively debate in the comments on this story added to its appeal.

4 Hacker uncovers proof that Chinese gymnast is underage

More on the He Kexin story as an anonymous computer security expert found evidence pointing to an online cover-up. The elimination of the Chinese competitor would have elevated a British athlete into third place, ensuring sustained UK interest in the saga.

5 Athletes who take Tibet stand face Olympic cut

Following pro-Tibet protests during the Olympic torch relay, the IOC issued a stern warning to competitors that any further demonstrations of support for the disputed province would be regarded as propaganda and lead to disqualification for the offenders.

6 America refuses to accept defeat in Olympic medal count