CYCLING: The Union Cycliste Internationale is strongly denying reports that the track cycling event of keirin bought its way onto the Olympic program for the 2000 Games by way of cash payments exceeding US $3 million. Keirin has a shady enough history as it is, starting in Japan as a betting race six decades ago. As you can see, its presentation looks a whole lot like horse racing.

On the same day, world champion road cyclist Marta Bastiainelli of Italy was kicked off her country's team when it was revealed that she failed a drug test -- she blamed weight loss herbs. In more benign cycling news, Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre was added to the Spanish road race team yesterday.

ATHLETICS: In what could only be considered an Olympic crackdown, former British hurdler Peter Hildreth was sternly reprimanded for running up an escalator at a department store near his home. Hildreth, now 80 years old, trained for the 1952, 1956 and 1960 Games by using this early form of resistance training.

Iraq is making a last-ditch effort to regain its spot at the Games after an IOC ban over government intervention in its Olympic committee. The IAAF deadline to enter athletes into the track and field events comes later today.

The mysterious case of the failed drug test at the Jamaican national trials continues to play out in 20 questions format. Yes, it was a male. No, it wasn't a "major team member." no, it was not 100 meter gold candidates Asafa Powell or Usain Bolt. Meanwhile in Athens, the Greek Olympic team is standing firm behind its decision to add Athens 2004 doping case Katerina Thanou to its roster, although she will have to pass an IOC disciplinary review.

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Gone are the days when Olympians would be banished from the Games for accepting a cash prize afterwards. Many countries now offer bonuses. In Kenya, it's US $11,000 for a gold and US $7,500 for a silver.

And in China...

The skies opened up over Beijing, and when the rain had passed, the smog had abated somewhat. Yesterday even counted as a "blue sky day."

The IOC is taking the claims of journalists, apparently stuck behind China's Golden Shield and facing government harrassment, very seriously.

Amnesty International's website is one of the sites that writers covering the Games can't get to. The BBC is another, but pornography is readily available in the Olympic Village.

For those of us outside the country, the official Beijing 2008 website has been unavailable all morning.

If you can get into the country, you can probably find a cheap hotel. Faced with low demand ahead of the Games, many hotels are slashing their rates up to 30 percent.

Finally, in mascot news, the names of the five Fuwa (or "friendlies") -- Beibei, Jingjing, Huānhuan, Yíngying and Nīni -- spell out "Beijing Welcomes You" in Mandarin. However, according to the prestigious Beijing Olympics Fan, the simple addition of a duck and a taxi transforms the message into "Beijing Welcomes You, Son of a Bitch."

Here's a gallery of other modified fuwa. There is nothing like the internet.

(Photo © Icon SMI)