The sporting coverage itself was excellent, with the camera coverage – especially the underwater swimming shots – outstanding.

But there were the down sides to the coverage, too.

Mr Pendle is not aware there is a vast army of beach volleyball fans in this country, for example, yet the sport was featured regularly, complete with the annoying blasts of music every time a point was scored.

And while on the theme of music, who put together the awful backing theme to the clips?

It sounded like either a badly tuned violin, or someone's cat which had been trodden on by someone wearing heavy boots.

And then there were the interviews with the swimmers in the first week, all but drowned out by the thousands of cicadas in the plants behind the interviewing area.

Couldn't anywhere quieter and better have been found – or was it all chosen deliberately by our politically-correct friends to add to the Chinese flavour of the occasion?


ANOTHER annoying aspect of the Games coverage was the constant reference to Team GB by commentators.

Where did that all start from – and where will it all end?

Will we have to refer to Team Manchester United, Team Chelsea and Team Liverpool in future?


SCANNING our letters pages on Monday which he had missed while on holiday, Mr Pendle noticed a query from a Philip Berry asking him which rugby league team he supported and where he watched the game.

Well, Philip, here's your answer.

Mr Pendle follows the fortunes of the Castleford Tigers (or should that be Team Cas?), and he watches the sport on Sky TV – including the Tigers' magnificent 10-try triumph over Warrington Wolves on Sunday.

The reasons he follows Castleford go back to 1970 and a fall out with a classmate who supported Wigan, who just happened to be playing in the cup final that year against Castleford.

He backed "Cas" to win, they did and he has been a supporter ever since, even though it is 22 years since they won a major trophy and have been relegated from Super League twice and promoted back twice in the last five seasons.

Mr Pendle hopes that is enough to satisfy Philip – who failed to reveal his own sporting preferences in his letter.