Stoke man could use freakish arm strength at the next Games

Having seen that he can throw a football further than most people walk in a lifetime, Ireland’s Athletics head honchos believe Rory Delap’s skills could be transferred to the art of javelin:

Mary Coghlan, head of Athletics Ireland, said: “We don’t have any javelin throwers competing at the World Championships next year so of course we would welcome him.

“To reach the acquired standard would be extremely difficult but nothing is impossible.

“Certainly, if he wanted to try and throw the javelin for Ireland we would be more than delighted to have him.”

The world’s best javelin throwers can launch their spear around 65-75m. When you consider the fact that Delap threw a much-less-aerodynamic-than-a-javelin football 45m in the recent Arsenal victory, crossing over to the Olympic event doesn’t sound like such a crazy idea.

[Daily Star]

…check out the ideas for mascots

The Olympics are busy gathering attention for appalling pollution, dismal human rights records and ridiculous food bans, so it’s easy to lose focus on the fact that we will be hosting the event in 2012. But the genii at the BBC have stuck the Olympiad right back into the national consciousness by asking folks to submit their own ideas for Olympic mascots.

The very best entries have been published by the BBC, and most are at about the same standard as the God-awful Lisa-Simpson-performing-a-sex-act official logo. Above, for example, is the imaginatively-titled ‘Sock’ by Terry Scott.

‘Mr Belvedere’ is meant to be a Dickensian athlete, but he looks more like a man you wouldn’t like to see in the park late at night

See more mascots after the jump…