"It is unprecedented, arrogant and a trifle disdainful for Usain Bolt to have started celebrating before he completed his 100m race." So what? It was a bold move by a confident,well rehearsed, elite athlete and as a result the victory was sweeter and the spectators' enjoyment was beyond the ordinary!

We were thrilled! Mr Bolt's is not a stunt for the faint-hearted. It was not done by an athlete whose concern is ego or his sponsorship cheque and it will not be replicated for another century. Mr Bolt knows the cardinal rule of investment - whether of time, effort or money, "great risk brings great winnings or crippling failure". Mr Bolt's 100m is the terrestrial equivalent of man's walk on the moon! The "sprintlord" has thrown down the gauntlet, let the "sprintlings" answer.

. We forgive Jacques Rogge. Sir, the athletes are the Games. You did not know what you were seeing in the 100m and the aftershock of the 200m was a discombobulating confirmation. We also forgive Mr Bolt's truculent teammates for an after-race interview which was grudging, evasive, incoherent and selfish or, to be kind, plain stupid. On global TV, they did not even congratulate their teammate or praise Jamaica for winning gold. I write this off to "shock and awe" and move on. Still, I thank the Trinidad competitor who lauded Usain as "awesome!" and the American opponent who physically lifted him, above all others - a tribute more eloquent than words.

. Mr Rogge will soon appreciate Mr Bolt's seminal contribution to the true Olympic spirit. In the ancient Games athletes ran, boxed and wrestled; their bodies rugged and ripped, with dusty, bruised feet, sweaty raiment (often naked), egos larger than life, and they were bursting with pride. Who would dare constrain an athlete pushing his pained body to the limit? Who could restrain the spectators, shouting their support and curses to friend and foe, making their wagers and telling ribald jokes. The Olympics were raw, feral and punishing, but full of fun, frolic and individuality.

. The modern Olympics is a well-scripted and choreographed cardboard copy of the original - though the athletes' reality remains the same. Some even try to homogenise the risk-taking, spirit and temperament of athletes and spectators. Some athletes died from frostbite or falls from the mountain face while trying to scale K2. Must we have rules for those who lived and got to the peak which ban them from celebrating joyfully, naked in the sunshine and snow? Will there be no champagne baths at F1 races? Will gymnasts be allowed to sweat?

Even a Lord's test match is not the same without the odd "streaker" running naked across the pitch. The Olympics is becoming a joyless, politically correct, number-crunching event, feeding the commercial interests of the IOC and the top performers. Must spectators sit in neat rows, supervised and sterile conditions and applaud as and when directed? The most ecstatic moments of the Games would be under-celebrated. Health and safety and silly rules will soon control all our actions. Spectators cannot carry their pipes, drums and trumpets. too uncontrolled; whistling is too rowdy and the Mexican wave is too pedestrian. Where will it all end?

*The Beijing Olympics will not be equalled for generations. We have heard many fulminations and patronising comments about China. China is a great society. They were a great society over 4,000 years ago and their renaissance moves apace. The West has no civilisation of the scale, wealth or continuity of China's, and their terracotta army now touring is pitifully reciprocated by Europe's frothy fashion shows. This was the finest stage for Jamaica to make its Olympic mark. We did, and the world and China loved it.

. Usain Bolt is an asset to the Olympics and his impact will be felt long into the future. First, his win signals a paradigm shift in the selection and training of athletes. By this one move Usain becomes the Galileo of athletics. the sun is indeed at the centre (is Mr Rogge the Inquisition?); sport physics and biomechanics research will now go into high gear. The old theories, whereby athletes with a low "centre of gravity" are selected for speed, are in disarray. the tiger is built for speed, but what happens when one giraffe learns how to counterweight his extended neck, coordinate his inelegant legs and get a good action going? Second, Mr Bolt's in-race and post-race celebrations will restore some genuine spirit to the Games. His patent joy and his uninhibited and extended celebration gave pleasure to billions. He trained four years for it and will not be denied. Respect! This, Mr Rogge, boosts the Olympic's ratings and your corporate sponsorship. Sir, give thanks to Jamaica; and ask the government to introduce sports technology as an academic subject in schools. Mr Bolt is a true Olympian! We will all see the result of the two seeds he planted. Look for the fruit in 2012!

Dr Franklin Johnston is an international project manager with Teape-Johnston Associates, currently on assignment in the UK.

franklinjohnston@hotmail.com

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