THE biggest sporting occasion is upon us again and the opening ceremony at the Olympics seemed incredibly over the top, especially at a time when saving the planet is the order of the day.
But I, like everyone else, am looking forward to what unfolds in Beijing, though in the gym the other night, glancing at the action on the screens as I trained, I couldn't help but feel angry at being at home rather than competing in the Olympic Game
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So how come squash isn't in the Olympics?
It is the question I am asked the most and as time goes by I get no nearer to answering it. The World Squash Federation (WSF) has been campaigning to get the sport in the Olympic programme and continues to do so.
Our latest disappointment was in 2005 when two sports were voted out of the programme for the London Games and we hoped that squash would get in, along with other hopefuls rugby sevens and karate.
But the IOC voted to add no more sports to the programme and so the dream of being able to compete in London in four years' time was over.
Everyone involved in squash was gutted. It deserves to be there.
Squash is a true test of every sporting attribute – a typical Olympic sport you would think – played in countless countries worldwide.
Three other racket sports enjoy Olympic recognition, yet not squash.
It would give the sport a profile boost in this country, because as it stands now, squash could easily provide British medals in Beijing and London, which isn't true of too many sports. The next chance for entry will be 2016, it seems.
Nevertheless there should be some compelling sport to watch over the next two weeks. Let's hope that drugs don't become an issue, as they so often do and let's be thankful that Dwain Chambers is not competing.
The British athletics team looks to have chances with Christine Ohuruogu and Nicola Sanders in the 400m. Philips Idowu is the world number one triple jumper and seems to be in good form while there are a splattering of others who could make a show.
It will also be interesting to see how Jamaican Usain Bolt, the world 100m record holder, handles his 100m and 200m double. I saw him at Crystal Palace last week and he was lightning.
Britain's best chances, in my humble opinion, could come from cycling.
I would hedge my bets and say that there's a good chance that the likes of Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Bradley Wiggins could be household names.
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