Minority sports enjoy the limelight of the Beijing Olympics

There's nothing quite like the Olympics to create a sense of national sporting pride in Britain. The country will unite behind little-known sportsmen and women as they are thrust into the limelight in Beijing. We'll be on the edges of our seat in front of the men's Madison event at the Laoshan Velodrome, and jumping up and down with excitement watching the canoeing and by the closing ceremony, there will be some new national heroes. Of particular interest are the cycling events, the tennis and the diving, but Team GB has a number of strong medal prospects. Philips Idowu is the number one in the world in the triple jump, and is one of our bankers for a Gold medal. Other athletics hopes are Kelly Sotherton in the heptathlon and Paula Radcliffe in the marathon, still chasing that Olympic gold. The velodrome will offer much hope... [read full story]