An Olympic digest
Beeb's paper Monkey a hit
NO, the BBC don't skimp. Monkey, the two minutes of animation they commissioned to open their Games coverage took 10 animators 12 weeks to make. There are 59 scenes in the Journey to the East escapade starring Monkey and various other animal characters, which will surely draw in children to the spectacle of the Olympics.
The animators used the old method of drawing on paper - 8,000 sheets in all - while the music was recorded in London and Beijing. The brains behind Monkey are no other than Jamie Hewlet and Damon Albarn. Yes, the ever-changing lead singer of the Britpop band Blur and Gorillaz, Albarn, has pulled off another hit.
Mullings gets dream call-up
EVER have that dream where a player doesn't turn up and you jump over the fence and play for Ireland? Well, the world number 1,025 David Mullings arrived at the Olympics to play tennis doubles but was hauled into the singles after Ivan Lujubicic and Ivo Karlovic got injured.
The Bahaman, at 5ft 6ins (1.68m), is the shortest man in the tournament. He meets Argentina's Agustin Calleri in the first round, which yesterday found a familiar Wimbledon theme. The biblical rain forced play to be cancelled with only nine matches completed.
What a change a name makes
THAI weightlifter Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon, owner of maybe the longest name at these Olympics, also appears to be one of the luckiest contestants. Last year a fortune-telling nun advised the 24-year-old to change her name from the more pronounceable Chanpim Kantatian to improve her luck. The extended monicker seems to have worked its magic; Prapawadee won her first Olympic gold in the 53kg class yesterday.
Ireland once had a swimmer who "trained smart", changed her name from Smith to de Bruin and went on to win three gold medals. Amazing what can get you on a podium.
Travellers going well in the ring
TRAVELLER families are making quite a contribution to Olympic boxing. Francie Barrett was the first man from the Traveller community to box at the Olympics (Atlanta 1996). This year John Joe Joyce and John Joe Nevin are in Beijing.
Britain's Billy Joe Saunders (18) yesterday made a confident start to his Olympic welterweight campaign against Turkey's Adem Kilicci. Saunders is described as a Romany living on a site on the outskirts of London. His great-grandfather was a bare-knuckle fighter in boxing booths around England.
Amateur ethos hard to figure
THE ongoing anomaly of who can and cannot compete in the Games was highlighted yesterday in the soccer competition as Lionel Messi tormented an Australian defence and his fellow millionaire Ronaldinho scored twice for Brazil in their 5-0 win over New Zealand.
Yet the boxers Andy Lee and Bernard Dunne, who would surely be medal contenders for Ireland, have to make do with RTÉ punditry because they are seen as professionals. Very strange.
Quote unquote
Wow, what a day. On bars I cannot imagine what happened. I was totally surprised. Some sort of nerves may have been playing.
- US team co-ordinator Martha Karolyi after watching two athletes crash off the bars on to the ground.
He's waited four years for the Olympic Games and when the time comes he couldn't make the weight.
- British fighter Amir Khan on the embarrassing situation in which Frankie Gavin found himself when he failed to make the lightweight limit.
