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Crazy Facts About The Olympics Less than a few days in the 2012 Olympics and we have already seen some crazy things – from the parachuting Queen in the opening ceremony through to the ridiculous imagery of four Olympians trying the best to lose and a 16 year old girl comfortably out-swimming her male rivals, London has been host to some bizarre spectacles. Yet, for long time followers of the Olympics, the event has always boasted a history full of peculiarities and odd occurrences,. Here are some of the craziest facts about the Olympics. Abebe Bikila Didn’t Have Time To Find Trainers In the Olympic games of Rome in 1960, Abebe Bikila became the first African to win a marathon. That, in and of itself, is not overly peculiar but the preparation he made in advance of the games certainly was. The Ethiopian runner’s admission to the team was so last minute he only joined the team as their plane to Italy was about to leave.  Needless to say, this left him with very little preparat...

Britain's Best Sporting Arenas to Visit Britain has long boasted some of the finest sporting arenas anywhere on the planet and with the construction of a host of new state-of-the-art facilities for the 2012 Olympics that is truer than ever. With a summer of football, the 2012 Games and other sporting spectacles ahead there are plenty of sports-mad men out there who will find plenty to do this year, largely sitting in front of the telly watching the action.  But if you’re looking for a special gift for that special sport-loving man in your life then treating him to a visit to some of the best stadiums in the country is a winning idea. With behind-the-scenes tours or taster sessions available at many sports venues, you don’t even have to be lucky enough to bag tickets to the big events to enjoy a taste of sporting greatness.  For sports gifts with a difference, here are three of Britain’s best stadiums to visit:  Old Trafford Home to England’s most successful...

As a major international sporting event, it stands to reason that the Olympic Games will not always run smoothly. We looked at scandals from the last 10 Games, including this year's London Games, which faces controversy even before they have begun. olympics 2012: Where is the Security? By far the biggest mess of 2012, so far, hopefully at all, has been the failure of G4S to provide adequate security. Surely alarm bells should have rung when G4S asked to be able to deliver their staff quota at the last minute when they tendered their bid? 2008: What Human Rights? olympics China’s questionable human rights record was raised by many people in the run up to Beijing 2008, with many asking why they had even been awarded the Games in the first place. 2004: Are We Done Yet? In retrospect, this was perhaps an eerie look at what was to come during the economic crisis later in the decade. The planning for Athens 2004 was a mess, with many venues finished only weeks before th...