When Matthew Syed lifted the lid in times2 last week on what goes on in the Olympic village after dark, he sparked a worldwide reaction on the Times Online website. Here is a selection of our readers’ comments

Last week in times2 Matthew Syed recalled his days as a British ping-pong Olympian — and revealed that inside the Olympic village, once their competitions are complete, the world’s fittest athletes celebrate their achievements and further international relations by . . . having a lot of sex.

As of last night more than a million readers from around the world had read Matthew’s piece on timesonline.co.uk. The reaction has veered between outrage and jealousy. Here is the best of it.

Why on earth didn’t anyone let me know about this earlier? I might have tried to be a volunteer in the village . . .
Wang, Beijing, China

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Why on earth didn’t anyone let me know about this earlier? I might have tried a little harder at school in the gym . . .
Jen, West London

Surely this is all the motivation those 14-to-18-year-old athletes on GB’s various Olympic development programs should need to inspire them to get to London 2012. It should be pinned to the notice board of every school and sports centre in the country
Tim, Manchester

Matthew Syed asks why, but it’s clearly nature’s way. We are all driven by that mystical force that none of us understands to procreate with the best genetic match possible. The Olympics brings together the most talented and gifted athletes. It’s not surprising they all want to screw each other.
Richard Gordon, Toronto, Canada

That was the most awesome Olympics-related article I’ve read since Beijing 2008 started.
Drake, Alabama, US

What’s that frustrating, niggling feeling I seem to have after reading this? Oh yes, ENVY!
Chris P, Worthing, West Sussex

Ran into some Kiwis out in Sanlitun (a popular nightlife area in Beijing) the other night. They had been eliminated from their competition and were really cutting loose. To say that there was sexual energy flowing off these ladies would be a massive understatement. Wow.
Mike, Beijing, China

The man speaks true. I had the privilege of not only attending the Sydney Games, but also having an all-access pass due to a contract I was given to handle an IT aspect of the whole thing. Hell, I’m not exactly Brad Pitt and I still scored more bumper than a body shop during that time. God bless Olympians.
Xander (via Huffingtonpost.com)

So I’m watching the beach volleyball matches and my wife comes in and asks “Who’s winning?”. I respond, “Who cares about the score?” Wrong answer. Now I’m sleeping in the garage.
Aspar183 (via Huffingtonpost.com)

If a ping-pong player is doing well, just imagine what the rest are up to!
Dom Joly, in The Independent

You should have concentrated more on your ping-pong rather than your ding dong. Who knows, you might have got more bling blong . . .
Jake Weiner, Renfrewshire