The trouble with icons is that they are such a hard act to follow. None more so than Tanni Grey-Thompson, who will be 37 next month, and has been wheelchairwoman of the board for some 20 years. She is not sure she will be in Beijing, and if she is in evidence at London 2012 one hopes it will be as something like chair of UK Sport or Sport England, though one doubts the powers that be have the bottle to appoint anyone quite as accomplished or forthright.

The trouble with icons is that they are such a hard act to follow. None more so than Tanni Grey-Thompson, who will be 37 next month, and has been wheelchairwoman of the board for some 20 years. She is not sure she will be in Beijing, and if she is in evidence at London 2012 one hopes it will be as something like chair of UK Sport or Sport England, though one doubts the powers that be have the bottle to appoint anyone quite as accomplished or forthright.

The Austrian Ski Federation has cleared the banned Olympic coach Walter Mayer of any involvement with doping at the recent Games in Turin.