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This morning, however, there came a T-shirt U-turn. First, Jacques Rogge, the chairman of the International Olympic Committee, and then Hugh Robertson, the Olympics minister, said Pepsi T-shirts were fine. Mr Rogge was speaking on the Today programme; Mr Robertson was speaking at a press conference in the Olympic Park itself. Pepsi, Pepsi, Pepsi. All this free publicity was making me thirsty.

But in any case, both the minister and Lord Coe can surely afford to relax. As regular viewers of televised sport will know, cameramen are interested in only two types of spectator: i) obese Newcastle United fans in tears, and ii) fruity young women. Anyone outside those two categories can turn up with the Pepsi logo tattooed on their forehead, for all your average cameraman cares they wont make it on screen.

Mr Robertson, incidentally, is the last person youd expect to see in a Pepsi T-shirt. Formerly an officer in the Life Guards, he is smart but ruddy-cheeked, and looks the sort of man who is never entirely happy in anything other than an Army uniform or a Barbour jacket.

Pepsi aside, his message was that the Olympics will inspire people to take up sport something theyll certainly need to do after the Games, what with all the McDonalds, Coca-Cola etc that theyll have guzzled at the behest of the sponsors.

Bradley Wigginss triumph in the Tour de France, the minister said, should prove similarly inspirational. I absolutely think it can lead to an increase in participation. You know, more middle-aged men in Lycra. And, hopefully, some younger females as well

Mr Robertson was speaking on behalf of his boss, Jeremy Hunt, who was otherwise engaged at a meeting about Games security. Mr Hunt did find time, however, to appear on The World at One, where he informed listeners that, for Bradley Wiggins, no honour is too little. He must have meant it, because he said it twice.

I wonder what Britains littlest honour is. After all that Mr Hunt has done, it may well be the job of Culture Secretary.

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