Gore's out

Not Al Gore. I'm talking about Gore Vidal. That's right, the celebrated writer and political commentator died last night (Pacific Daylight Time) aged 86. Gore Vidal, who wrote 25 novels (including the best-selling Burr and Myra Breckenridge), more than 200 essays, and several plays, died at his home in Los Angeles, with the cause of death believed to be complications from pneumonia. I'm sure he will be missed. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, China's Olympic sports delegation has begun an investigation into allegations two badminton players threw (deliberately lost) their match. Doubles players Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli are among eight players charged by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) with "not using one's best efforts to win". The other six are four players from South Korea and two from Indonesia, and all eight are either chicken or involved in match-fixing. If the latter turns out to be the case, then those eight should all go to jail. Match-fixing is sometimes used to fund organised crime, and along with steroids, it just takes the fairness and unpredictability out of sport. Just like the racist tweet that got a triple-jumper booted off the Greek delegation, match-fixing is also against Olympic ideals. And speaking of Olympic ideals, Great Britain striker Craig Bellamy has called for the national anthem to be respected when they play Uruguay at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. God Save the Queen was booed before England played football against Wales at the stadium in March 2011. Bellamy (along with fellow Welshmen Ryan Giggs, Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey, and Neil Taylor) has not sung the anthem while playing in the Olympics so far, but Bellamy said there is no need for non-English supporters to boo it.