Officials are outnumbering athletesForty-five national delegations contain more officials than athletes, according to figures issued by Olympic organisers. Only 61 of the 202 national delegations have two-thirds or more of their ranks filled with athletes.
Ireland has 68 officials for just 46 athletes. Yet the United States, Russia and China achieve success with fewer than one official per athlete. A total of 10,914 competitors and 7,668 delegation officials are registered at the Games and non-athletes account for more than 40 per cent of team membership.
Oman and East Timor are not prominent in the medals table but they can claim one first place - they have the highest "blazer ratio" at 3.5 officials for every athlete.
Wiggins completes hat-trick
Cyclist Bradley Wiggins has become the first British competitor to win three medals in one Olympic Games for almost a century .
The 24-year-old scored a hat-trick of medals after he took bronze with team-mate Rob Hayles in the Madison to add to his gold and silver.
It equals the medal tally won by Britons at a single Olympics, set by Benjamin Jones and Henry Taylor, who both won three at the 1908 London Games.
Cost of games exceed estimates
The total cost of hosting the Athens Olympics will come close to €10 billion, more than double the original target and above recent estimates, according to a senior finance ministry official. The original Games budget was set at €4.6 billion but a rising security bill and over-runs in construction costs have prompted several upward revisions. Last week, deputy finance minister Petros Doukas said the Olympic billwould top €7 billion.
American loses heavyweight title
US heavyweight Rulon Gardner has lost his Olympic title after being beaten in the semi-final of the 120kg Greco-Roman wrestling event by Kazakhstan's Georgiy Tsurtsumia.
The towering Tsurtsumia won 4-1 in overtime following a 1-1 tie after six minutes. He now meets Russia's Khasan Baroev for the gold while Gardner meets Iranian Sajad Barzi for the bronze.
Rower leaves medal in taxi
A Dutch rower at the Athens Olympics did what millions of people do every year- he left something in the back of a taxi. Diederik Simon's case was more serious than most -- he left behind his silver medal.
Thanks to an honest taxi driver, Simon will be reunited with the medal he won on Sunday as part of the Dutchmen's eight.
The driver found the medal in his cab after organisers put out an emergency call to track it down.
Dutch rider secures double
Anky Van Grunsven successfully defended her Olympic title in the individual dressage final at the Markopoulo equestrian centre yesterday, writes Grania Willis.
The 36-year-old Dutch rider took gold in Sydney with Bonfire, but has a new talent in her stable in 10-year-old Salinero.
Bronze went to Spain's Beatriz Ferrer-Salat and Beauvalais. But compatriot Rafael Soto stole the show performing his flambouyant Freestyle for overall eighth with the Andalusian stallion Invasor.
Individual dressage: 1. Holland's Salinero (Anky van Grunsven), 79.278%. 2. Germany's Rusty (Ulla Salzgeber), 78.833%. 3.Spain's Beauvalais (Beatriz Ferrer-Salat), 76.667%.
Top ten slot but bottom of rung
The eighth race of the men's keelboat event saw Mark Mansfield and Killian Collins break into the top ten of the Star class discipline for the first time in the 11-race regatta but they remain bottom of the 17- boat fleet writes David O'Brien. The Royal Cork crew were 17th in the seventh race yesterday morning which has not helped improve their overall scoreline. Rounds nine and 10 continue today.
The 49er fleet is also back on the water today for its final race. Howth pair Tom Fitzpatrick and Fraser Brown are placed 16th out of 19 in the double-handed dinghy.
