I want to clarify that I don't disagree at all with the Olympic ideal of international sporting competitions which bring people together in peace, and which challenge the world's best sportspeople to achieve their best, not just at one Olympic Games, but in succeeding games, Olympic & other.

I enjoy watching some of the Olympic sports, including sports I would not normally watch. I love cheering on the sportspeople, regardless of where they are from, and whether or not they are the winners.

I also empathise with them when misfortune occurs - the British cyclist, Hales, and other cyclists who had a crash in last night's Madison race, Svetlana Khorkina in the women's gymnastics seeing victory slip from her fingers due to a series of mishaps - personal and organisational.

It is a spectacular event, and well worth getting into the Olympic spirit, but I know that major cuts have been made in social funding over the last few years to fund the Olympics, and I very much doubt that a huge profit will be made, or especially that after it is all over, the government will suddenly, and without persuasion, re-instate the funding levels we had prior to the Olympics.

Just my 2(Aussie)-cents worth.

Helen