Five star Cullen ‘for security reasons.’

Expenses incurred by Sports Minister Martin Cullen’s Olympic appearances were ‘unavoidable,’ a Department spokesperson has said.

The Minister’s flights alone cost €17,000. This may seem a large sum, but a thirty second advertising spot on this year’s Late Late Toy Show will cost the same amount.

Mr Cullen travelled first class for every leg of his visit and all Government officials were booked into the five star China World Hotel on the advice of the Olympic organising committee. ‘I was merely following orders,’ the Waterford-man said.

John O Shea on the Olympics

The first of Jizzwaxrainbow's sixty second interviews is with Goal chief executive John O Shea:

- Which do you prefer, rural or urban poverty?

- At the moment defintely rural.

- If you had to choose between helping the poor, the very poor, and the poorest of the poor, who would you choose?

- The poorest of the poor every time.

- Why do you think Minister Martin Cullen’s attendence at the Olympics is deplorable?

- Because the Chinese commit human rights abuses, particularly in Tibet, which is more evocative than its abuses in lesser known provinces.

- And where would you host the Olympics instead?

- Well I think we have to rule out a lot of places, but Ireland would be an obvious choice, though we don’t have the resources. Iceland is unsullied with human rights abuses, but it is rather small, and Finland can be quite dark. Ideally, the Olympics would be held in small countries oppressed by poverty, with the rich, tainted nations funding the whole enterprise. Until then, I think it should be held in Canada.