大象传媒

Everybody loves a no-hoper in Olympic competition, don't they?

I know I do. I cheered every successful landing made by British ski jumper at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

And I will never forget the stunning swim of at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

But it was that performance by Moussambani that prompted International Olympic Committee boss Jacques Rogge to declare that he wanted to because he believes they are making a mockery of the competition.

Far from it Mr Rogge, I say. It does completely the opposite. It is performances such as Moussambani's that inspire and give hope to athletes who are not fortunate enough to have access to top quality training facilities.

I remember the pictures of Edwards training in his backyard on a homemade contraption, while Moussambani reportedly kept the crocodiles in the river company before he was given access to Equatorial Guinea's only pool, which was just 20m long.

Surely that is what the Olympic spirit of "it's not the winning, but the taking part" is all about.

The fact that Moussambani swam the 100m freestyle in one minute 52.72 seconds, 65 seconds slower than Dutch gold medallist Pieter van den Hoogenband's world record 47.84 seconds, is irrelevant.

What matters is that he gave it a go and he received a standing ovation from the supporters in the stands who clearly appreciated his efforts.

Where do you stand on the debate? Would you like to see more plucky no-hopers at the Olympics?