I would like to congratulate China for putting on such a spectacle, and very well organised. I also want to congratulate all the competitors, medal winners or not, who have worked their socks off to enable them to qualify for the ultimate competition, the Olympic Games.

Several are from countries I didn't know existed. I can recall very little bad sportsmanship or tantrums and they have
set a good example to the up and coming generation, which is more that can be said for our national game.

To the kill-joys, I would say you don't know what you have missed. Would you have really denied those fine young athletes their moment of
glory to represent their respective countries to enable you to make some political point with your proposed boycotts? I would hope not.

I suggest that the events of the last fortnight will do more to assist China to attain the values of a 21st century democracy than all the demonstrations and boycotts put together.

From: David W Wright, Quorn House, Little Lane, Easingwold.

THE report by Liam Creedon (Yorkshire Post, August 19) on the funding of British athletes illustrates the inescapable fact that money plays an immense part in the success of all athletes competing in the Olympics.

The athletes' successes are, of course, also due to their commitment and talent, but one has to question the ethics and support for the original Olympic ideals which are now being hijacked by countries and politicians eager to promote themselves at the expense of the sporting and uncommercial dream.

How can the attendance by our ex-PM Tony Blair and his entourage, plus all the other politicians who are presumably there for the jamboree and kudos, be justified as the Olympics are now becoming an enormous and costly public relations and promotional gala enabling the richer countries to outdo each other for international recognition?

From: Allen Jenkinson, Lipscomb Street, Milnsbridge, Huddersfield.

YOU would think that with all the millions of pounds that Team GB received from losing Lottery players, they could
have coached its members in which way up the Union Jack should go. If in doubt there is one painted on the side of the boat.

From: Peter Brown, Connaught Road, Middlesbrough.

IN reply to David Quarrie (Yorkshire Post, August 21), as a non-party observer of politics and somebody who is not interested in sport,
I am not aware of any political party or politician who is anti-sport.

Governments, in particular totalitarian governments, encourage their subjects to take a interest in sport in order to take their minds of politics and what the regimeis doing.

From: Edward Baker, Broomhill Crescent, Leeds.

TERRY Duncan (Yorkshire Post, August 21) is mistaken about Olympic medals.

A team win is only worth one gold medal in the medal table; it would clearly be ridiculous for, say, a football team's win to count as 11 (or more!) golds in the table.

From: WT Jackson,York Road, Driffield.

AT the end of the Olympic Games, I think it would be nice to see a table of the medals won set out as a percentage of the population of the relevant winners.


Festival exposes Leeds's traffic shambles


From: Paul Whitaker, Apperley Lane, Rawdon, Leeds.

TWICE in one week recently, I've had to turn back from important client meetings because of inexplicably standing traffic and gridlock.

No explanation was ever offered as to why Kirkstall Road practically became a static car park for two hours, nor the disgrace of Leeds' outer ring road on the opening day of Leeds Festival – despite assurances of "working closely with partners to minimise traffic disruption" and other well rehearsed platitudes so beloved of the public sector.

If we can't cope with festival or concert traffic then let's not have them. Leeds is gridlocked most of the time as it is and the incompetent halfwits who purport to manage our traffic networks are doing nothing about the situation.

And while I'm at it, as my old granny used to say, whose idea was it to halve traffic capacity on Kirkstall Road from Horsforth to the Kirkstall lights by installing a bus lane? I've never seen a bus in it.

Apologies, I do remember seeing one about three weeks ago trundling past the standing traffic – the only achievement being getting the five people on the bus to the back of the next logjam twice as fast as us.

It's high time these planners took off their bicycle clips and created a city that's fit for the demands of 21st century business.