This week, my TV licence fee and yours will help pay for 45 hours of coverage from the 2004 Lakeside World Professional Darts Championship.

Every time I switch on the television at the moment I seem to be confronted by Bobby "Mr Glitter" George and Ray "Ugly Bastard" Stubbs propping up the bar at at Frimley Green.

Check out the BBC's darts coverage and you'll find match reports from the Lakeside in the Sports section. Phil "The Power" Taylor and Ray "Dutch Bloke" Barneveld are mentioned in the same breath as David Beckham and Paula Radcliffe, which seems ludicrous.

Why don't we go one further and put Pro-Am celebrity masturbation in the sport section as well, alongside tonsil hockey.

But with synchronised swimming and beach volleyball now recognised as Olympic sports, maybe it's just a matter of time before Ted Hankey and Mervyn King slug it out at the oche for a gold medal.

Talking of which, I'm heading to Athens at the crack of dawn to get a first look at preparations for the Athens Olympics, where I'll be spending a chunk of my Summer.

Details to follow...