A lot of Olympic medal winners have been given honours in the New Year honours list. Which is probably as it should be. But I can’t help but think that a knighthood for Chris Hoy is a touch excessive – in my opinion, a CBE would have been more correct, with a knighthood following after his retirement.
If “normal” people – aka you and I – were to get an honour, we need to spend virtually our entire lives either working on the front line of public services or dedicated to …

It couldn’t have been any closer.
Massa led from the outset of the Brazilian Grand Prix , right up until the end. And as he crossed the line, he would have been world champion had the result stayed as it was.
On the last lap, Hamilton was passed by Vettel, moving him down to sixth – and he needed fifth to get the points to win. The tension was horrendous, so close to the end of the season and Hamilton had just lost his position and the points he needed to win.
But, …

Today is the day that Lewis Hamilton can take the world championship in his McLaren. Last year, he fell at the final hurdle, losing the championship to Kimi Raikonnen and his Ferrari. This year, he is up against Felipe Massa.
All Hamilton needs to do is finish fifth, and the championship is his – even if Massa wins. If he manages this, at 23 the will become the youngest Formula 1 world champion ever – and in only his second season as a driver as well.
But it all hangs on today’s …

It is amazing how well we have done so far in this Olympics, since we are now third in the medals table – and not all that far behind the USA in gold medal terms!
The current medal table, via the BBC:

There is no way that Team GB were expected to do so well, since we so massively under-fund our athletes. However, since the events in which we do well are very nearly over as the “real” section of the Olympics – the track and field section – gets going, we …

I have a few pet hates. One of them is so-called “NIMBYism” – “Not in my back yard”. People who don’t mind an idea in theory – until it sets up camp near to them.
When it’s objecting to the building of something like wind farms – then at least they’ve got some point. If everyone took that attitude then they’d never be any built. But, at least they’re trying to stop something changing.
What annoys me even more if people who move somewhere – then complain. Church bells are likely to …

Until last night, Murray was just another dour, bad-tempered Scot like the one who lives in 10 Downing Street. But now, Murray mania has hit Britain after his epic five-set victory last night – which pulled viewing figures of more than 10 million.
From being two sets down, Murray came back to win the match and get into the quarter finals – and is now declaring the he can win the title at Wimbledon. Just a little bit ahead of himself, I think.
This does have a certain parallel with the political …

Last week, I was talking about the clash between sport and personal lives. No-one’s a winner as a result of “Spank-gate” – Mosley’s clearly lost out, but the sport too as it was the main point of discussion at Bahrain last weekend. Not the track action.
In the past week though, there’s been a different clash – that of sport and politics.
The Olympic Games are all about world unity. As the I.O.C. website says:
The Games have always brought people together in peace to respect universal moral principles. The upcoming Games will …

As TD has admitted that F1 is the only sport he really watches, I thought I’d save this for the weekly guest post instead of putting it ‘Bites.
That, and the visual images created by the News of the World’s classic reporting techniques when the story broke on Sunday morning meant I was too busy being violently ill to write about it myself. If you’re having breakfast, put the porridge down.
[Max Mosley, t]he son of infamous British wartime fascist leader Oswald Mosley is filmed romping with five hookers at a depraved …

I just had to make a bet on this years Grand National [racing at 4.15pm] after seeing the name of one particular horse that is just perfect and hilarious, considering my job, meaning that I just went and put a £10 bet on him winning:
Comply Or Die
If he wins, I get £95! w00t!
UPDATE: Comply Or Die won the Grand National! Now I just wish I’d put more on him!

The lighting of the Olympic torch as it begins it journey from Olympia to Beijing in time for the 2008 Olympics was disrupted by a group of demonstrators. The group, Reporters Without Borders, said that:
We cannot let the Chinese government seize the Olympic flame, a symbol of peace, without denouncing the dramatic human rights situation in the country.
Whilst I agree with the sentiment, no matter what the human rights situation is in China what is the point of disrupting a sporting event? This is not a political event, but a …