Welcome to the August issue of Caravan World.

It’s amazing how quickly the year is passing. It seems that I’ve just become used to writing “08” when dating forms, etc, and pretty soon I’ll be reminding myself to write “09”.

Well, the Olympics are upon us and for two weeks our airwaves and newspapers will be commandeered by all things sport. Personally, I’m not a great sports fan so during major televised sporting events I practise a sport of my own: channel surfing.

But, seriously, I will tune in when and where I can. I think it’s important to “support our troops” and it will be interesting to see if any of the controversy from various legs of the torch relay spills into the games themselves.

Personally, I think that would be a shame. One can have their politics and views of the games’ host country, but if nations can come together to compete for just two weeks, then surely what that represents is worthy enough to go unmarred for 14 days. There will be time and occasion to protest afterwards.

The range of sports on offer during the Olympics is nearly as staggering as the lengths the hosts go to in order to impress the watching world with their opening and closing ceremonies.

Events like the hammer throw and weight lifting – sports requiring brute strength over elite fitness (although I’m sure fitness is still part of the equation) never fail to intrigue. While I can’t imagine too many real-world applications for the shotput, it’s fascinating to witness what the human body is actually capable of... with a strong dose of discipline.

Then there are the gymnasts, athletes who seem to defy the laws of physics and who definitely defy the laws of physiques in a bid to win.

Swimming? Well, Australia’s record speaks for itself in this area, but I’m yet to appreciate the finer points – and the point in general – of the syncronised variety.

Each Olympics seems to be a game of one-upmanship, with successive host countries striving for the final accolade: for the president of the International Olympic Committee to declare at the closing ceremony that the current host had just staged the best Olympics ever.

If memory serves, Sydney in 2000 was so rewarded while Athens in 2004 was not.

I’m tipping a positive result for Beijing once the final medal has been won. Will the games serve to “open up” China to the rest of the world, as some media commentators have suggested is half the point? I doubt it. But I don’t doubt these Olympics, in the way they are organised and presented, will be either as impressive as those that have been held before, or outclass them.

So as you watch the games from your van, or just from the comfort of your couch at home, I hope you enjoy them. They’re only held once every four years, after all.

Table tennis, marathons, archery... the list of events goes on. Even walking is an Olympic sport.

I think I’ll stick to channel surfing.