By far the best perk of covering the Olympics is that, with the right accreditation, you can go and see just about anything.

Where back home you'd flick through the TV guide to pick out your evening's viewing, here you can peruse the schedule and decide which events to see.

Weightlifting at the Nikaia Olympic Hall perhaps? Or what about fencing at the Helliniko Olympic Complex? The choice is seemingly endless. The main problem is finding time to get away from the office for long enough.



This evening a lull in the workload meant I was able to dash over to see the womens' gymnastics all-round final (first womens' synchronised diving, now gymastics -- I'll get myself a reputation if I'm not careful).

America's Carly Patterson upstaged the Russian diva Svetlana Khorkina to become the first American in 20 years to win gold in the event.



Khorkina's reaction to her silver medal was suitably diva-esque.

"If the judges were Greek I would have no difficulty winning the gold medal," she whined.

"They are the ones who are going to have to live with their conscience."