*Ø* So funnee!

I didn't watch a single event during the Olympics. Whether one is pro or anti competitive sports, I believe that the alleged corruption at IOC level, the scandal of sweatshops, and the never-ending saga regarding steroids etc. have soured it all for many. I saw a half-hour of the opening ceremony, which was quite spectactular as a pageant. But this is the funniest story of my week so far:

EU claims ‘victory’ over US in Athens

"Brussels: The European Union claimed on Monday that it was the true champion of the Athens Olympics, taking far more gold medals than the United States, the official winners of the most first places at the Games.

"The 25 EU member states compete as individual nations in Olympics, but that did not stop the EU’s executive European Commission from adding up their scores.

"'With 82 gold medals and all together 286 medals, the European Union swept the floor in the Olympic Games,' chief spokesman Reijo Kemppinen told a daily news briefing. 'For the sake of comparison, the United States of America won 35 gold medals and 103 medals in total, with China and Russia behind them (the United States).'

"He also said that European Commission president Romano Prodi hoped that the blue EU flag with its 12 gold stars would be featured for the first time at the 2008 Beijing Games." Full text

And then:

"Anti-EU papers aghast at Brussels 'hijack' of Olympics

"LONDON (AFP) - The European Commission spokesman might only have been joking when he hailed the collective success of the European Union at the Olympics, but for the vehemently anti-Brussels [UK] press it was no laughing matter ...

"'New EU bid to hijack Olympic glory,' screamed the Daily Mail in a front-page banner headline ...

"'Fury at 'Euro medal total'' was the page two headline of the Sun, the country's best-selling daily paper, which closely reflects the euro-scepticism of its proprietor, Australian-born media tycoon Rupert Murdoch ..."
Full text