Sportsday - Michael Johnson Q&A

That's it from this extended edition of Sportsday, many thanks for staying with us. Please join us again from 0800 BST on Wednesday.

How will the games be remembered? "The Olympics are often judged on what the media reports, if transport is not good, if things aren't organised, in Beijing every day I went to the same gate, every time it was a different process. It is much more than how the British team does, you have to look at it more broadly than that."

Did you say Oscar Pistorius [the South African who will compete at the Olympics with artificial limbs] should not be allowed to run at London 2012? "I'm amazed what the headlines say. Do I think he should be running? Yes, he's a friend of mine and I'm going to be rooting for him, he's earned the right to run and it's a fantastic story, some people don't grasp the rule that allows an athlete with prosthetics that may or may not give an advantage to compete with an able bodied athlete."

Roger Black: "I think we have a team that has the capacity to exceed what we did in Beijing."

How many times out of 10 could you beat Bolt? "I have no idea, I think I could have run under 19 seconds at my best and I think he has the capability of doing it."

Could the 100m final see all runners under 10 seconds? "It could definitely be that, when someone sets a new standard that's where the event moves to, there are a lot of great storylines, the biggest one being that Usain Bolt is not at his best. If he's healthy my job is tough because there is not much to talk about! But Yohan Blake has beaten him and Tyson Gay's pure speed is unmatched in the industry and makes him an incredible threat. Justin Gatlin has won before, Christophe Lemaitre adds an element."

Can Justin Gatlin win at London 2012? "He is running very, very well right now, he's a great talent, I'm a little surprised how well he's running at the moment, his speed and power is incredible but he was out of the sport for four years. He could win but some other things would have to happen, if he runs his fastest race and other people run their fastest race, he's not going to win. He did a tremendous amount of damage to the sport, I don't have many words for him when I see him, but we'll see what happens."

Is it right for former drug cheats to be allowed to compete again? "I think you do give people a second chance but that statement can never stand alone, because how long should they be banned? Two years is not enough, it won't deter them. You have to punish people. They've done a lot of damage to the sport, I'm not real thrilled about welcoming them back without them having suffered. I would be in favour of four, five, six years and if you want to come back, go right ahead."

How will the American team do at London 2012? "Very well. The US always does well, across the board, I don't expect that to be any different. We're very fortunate to have the collegiate system with programmes funding all sports, that is our development system, it breeds very competitive athletes, there are lots of medical facilities provided which pretty much guarantees we will have the best athletes available."

Could Usain Bolt transfer to 400m? "It is the most complex in the sport, 400m is a very long sprint, even if he decided to do it he'd have to learn the event."

Roger Black describing Michael Johnson: "I never saw him take it for granted yet clearly he was the most talented in the world, that spoke volumes."

Michael Johnson is asked about coping with retirement and the relative lack of attention. "For me it's a relief, I was never comfortable with celebrity, unless it was on the track. You find different things to do, for me it's running my businesses and being a BBC pundit. I wake up with different challenges and that's about as close as I'm going to get to being an athlete."

Roger Black is asked if he believed he could beat Johnson. "I never thought I couldn't win but I realised focusing on beating Michael was not the way to achieve my goal. I couldn't do what he could do, my strength was the ability to compete."

More questions for Michael: How do you stop negative thoughts at the Olympics? "You figure out a race strategy that works and I had plenty of time to do that. It's the athletes who can combine drawing on the Olympics as being the pinnacle but also keeping calm and treating it like any other race."

Former GB athlete Roger Black is also part of tonight's programme, and has recently carried the Olympic torch through his home town Godalming: "So many kids want to touch that torch and that's where the legacy starts, it has played a big part, it has united the country."

Are you in favour of the one false start disqualification rule? "No I don't agree with it. The original rule was each person got one false start, that was horrible for television, there was so much gamesmanship, if everyone does that you've delayed the tv and it throws everything off. The governing body tried to address that, one false start charged to the field, the athletes didn't like it."

Did you ever consider the 800m? "You see Olympic champions who dominate one event, the only reason I am sitting here is because I did two, doing it in three is pretty much impossible, the 800m is a completely different animal. I tried to train with 800m guys a couple of times and it was a disaster. It's not an all out sprint, no-one can do that."

On missing out on the 1988 Olympics: "That was a breakthrough year for me, I ran my fastest in 200m and 100m and was touted for the Olympic team but suffered a stress fracture a month before."

Asked about dealing with nerves: "There was only one time I wasn't nervous and I lost that race! It was to Frankie Fredericks in 1993."

Michael Johnson is asked about Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis being his inspirations. "Jesse Owens definitely, Carl Lewis not so much! we weren't the best of friends when we were competing against each other but Jesse Owens was in my opinion the greatest sprinter of all time, he broke four world records in one day..I broke two over 11 years!"

Michael Johnson: "I was happy to see the sun when I landed this morning, having worked with BBC for the last 11 years it very much feels like a home Olympics to me and I'm very excited about it."

That is the end of a normal Sportsday Live today, thanks for all your contributions but don't go anywhere just yet. Our extended Sportsday is set to begin with a live Q&A with Olympic legend Michael Johnson who will be taking your calls.

Somerset have beaten Essex by 27 runs in their T20 quarter-final at Taunton.

The French Athletics Federation has upheld the suspension of the Olympic steeplechase runner Nordine Gezzar after his back-up sample tested positive for the banned blood-booster EPO. Gezzar has been ruled out of the Olympics last week after the federation said he had tested positive on 17 June during the French elite championships.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger denied he is close to signing Spain's Santi Cazorla as the Gunners kicked off an Asian tour Tuesday with a narrow 2-1 victory over hosts Malaysia. He said: "We are not close to signing Cazorla. We are still working that out."

Leeds will be without half-back Danny McGuire for Monday's Stobart Super League derby with Wakefield while second rower Brett Delaney is also unlikely to feature. McGuire was handed a one-match ban after making dangerous contact with Bradford full-back Brett Kearney during his side's 34-16 derby win over the Bulls last Friday while Delaney damaged a thumb in that match.

Former England captain David Beckham has told The Associated Press that he will have a role in the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. Beckham said to The AP that he has "some kind of role in the opening ceremony which I am honored to be involved in because obviously I was involved in the start of this process seven years ago."

Scotland have beaten Bangladesh in the Netherlands by 34 runs.

Georgina Geikie is ready to swap pulling pints for pulling the trigger as she goes in search of Olympic glory next week. The 27-year-old shooter from Devon will be cheered on by a pub full of locals when she takes aim in the 25m air pistol at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich.

She said: "The pub does have a TV and lots of people have told me they will be watching. Everyone is really getting into the vibe of an Olympic Games in their own country."

Team GB athletes are currently being welcomed into the London 2012 Olympic village ahead of Friday's opening ceremony.

Four-time world amateur boxing champion Katie Taylor was today named as Ireland's flagbearer for Friday's London 2012 opening ceremony and Irish Amateur Boxing Association president Tommy Murphy has backed the call from the Olympic Council of Ireland.

He said: "It's a great honour for Irish amateur boxing and we are absolutely delighted that Katie has been chosen as the flagbearer for Ireland.

"She is the first female boxer to represent this country at the Olympic Games and it is a good choice. Katie is a fantastic ambassador for our sport and her record in international competition speaks for itself."

Former Manchester City defender Danny Mills has backed Joey Barton's potential loan move to a Football League club to speed up his ban.

Mills told BBC Sport: "If it was me I would say it was a great idea. If I was QPR and Joey Barton I think it's a very clever way. There are some very intelligent people lawyers, agents and directors of football that work in football, and its loophole.

"It's not against the rules, some might argue it's against the spirit of the game, but until that loophole is closed then why would you not exploit it?"

AC Milan star Filippo Inzaghi is the new coach of the club's youth team. The 38-year-old quit Milan at the end of last season and had been linked with a move to English clubs Reading and Watford.

Brazil's starting goalkeeper Rafael has been ruled out of the men's Olympic squad after injuring his right elbow in a practice session just two days before the team's opening match against Egypt on Thursday at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Serena Williams is relishing the opportunity to return so soon to the scene of her Wimbledon triumph at London 2012 and says the Olympic doubles gold medals she won in 2000 and 2008 represent the most enjoyable moments of her tennis career.

Williams jetted into London on Tuesday with the rest of the US Olympic tennis team including sister Venus, Andy Roddick and John Isner, eager to return to the grass when she claimed her fifth All England Club singles title less than three weeks ago.

She said: "To have the opportunity to win a gold medal and be mentioned among the greatest athletes is an honour. For me of every tournament I've won, I enjoy my gold medal probably the most."

The Premier League today revealed new guidelines for social media by players, on the afternoon the Football Association charged Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong with improper conduct relating to recent comments on Twitter.

Britain's Heather Watson has been given a late place in the London 2012 women's singles tennis tournament at Wimbledon after the withdrawal of Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko through injury. Bondarenko's injury means she and her sister Kateryna have withdrawn from the doubles.

Great Britain pair Dan Clark and Mike Lenzly are battling injuries in the final days before London 2012. Guard Lenzly suffered a calf injury during last weekend's 118-78 friendly loss to the United States in Manchester, while forward Clark hurt his knee in Saturday's 73-69 loss to Tunisia.

British Basketball have until Friday to apply to world governing body FIBA to replace either player on the roster if their injuries do not improve, but no decision has been taken.

Ben Spies has announced he is to quit the factory Yamaha team at the end of the current MotoGP season. World Superbike champion in his rookie year in the series in 2009, Spies has failed to translate that form across to MotoGP.

Defending champion Nicole Cooke has been tipped to rise to the occasion of the London 2012 Olympic Games road race on Sunday. The 29-year-old from Swansea won gold by the Great Wall of China in Beijing four years' ago and the World Championships later that year, but has been in indifferent form of late.

Women's road coach Chris Newton said: "We have Lizzie [Armitstead] and Nicole as the two main riders for the team. We're looking for results, whether it will be Lizzie or Nicole.

"We've got Nicole, former champion, to use. She will be given the rein of attacking and riding from an aggressive point of view. If that succeeds, we're very happy for Nicole to go for glory and ride for that win."

The saga over Bradford Bulls' future took another twist today when the Rugby Football League confirmed a formal written offer has been made for the club. "The RFL have received details of the formal written offer and they are currently being evaluated by the executive for presentation to the board," said a spokesman.

Usain Bolt will be 100% fit when the heats of 100m at the London Olympics get under way in 11 days' time, Jamaican team officials insisted today. The world's fastest man was conspicuous by his absence from the team's open training session at the University of Birmingham.

Jamaican team manager Ludlow Watts said: "By the time he gets to the Olympics Bolt will be competition fit. Some times in your preparations there may be certain disruptions, but I believe that he's adequately prepared."

Stephen Kelly has signed a two-year contract extension with Fulham. The Republic of Ireland full-back established himself as a key part of manager Martin Jol's plans last season and has now committed himself to the club until the end of the 2013-14 season. The 28-year-old told the club's official website: "I'm delighted that it's sorted now and I can hopefully continue on from last year."

Following his side-bet with Dave Haye prior to their heavyweight title fight at Upton Park, Dereck Chisora today presented a cheque of £20,000 to the founders of David Haye's charity of choice, the ACLT (African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust) in Central London.

Boxer Katie Taylor is selected to be Ireland's flagbearer at Friday's opening ceremony.

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres is targeting the Premier League title after a year of ups and downs which culminated in triumphs for the Spaniard in the Champions League, FA Cup and at Euro 2012.

"I would love to win a Premier League," Torres says on his personal website www.fernando9torres.com. "Hopefully it will happen this year, but for sure we will be challenging for it.

Arsenal score twice in the last three minutes to come from behind and beat a Malaysia XI 2-1.

QPR midfielder Joey Barton uses his new website joeybarton.com to explain why he is training with Fleetwood Town.

"I have become a little disenchanted with the game in the last six months after what I have put myself through and I desperately want to fall back in love with the game.

"I feel that training in the lower leagues will give me a reality check and maybe help me become a better person, a little more humility will serve me well. The lower leagues is where the hunger for the game is at its greatest, at least where players are concerned."

Arsenal respond to the Football Association's decision to charge Emmanuel Frimpong with improper conduct following a recent Twitter post.

A Gunners spokesman says: "We are aware of the FA charge. As previously stated, Emmanuel has been reminded of his responsibilities when representing the club.

"Emmanuel will respond to the charge by 27 July as requested."

Shanghai Shenhua signing Didier Drogba may not play in his side's high-profile friendly against Manchester United on Wednesday due to a back injury, team manager Sergio Batista says.

Batista says he will make a final decision on Drogba's inclusion in the squad nearer to the game after the former Chelsea striker missed a public training session on Tuesday.

"Right now we can't say for sure because he has a back problem. We will see tomorrow," says the Argentinian.

Motherwell complete their first summer signing by tying up trialist Simon Ramsden on a one-year contract.

More from Mark Foster on GB women's swimming prospects: "We have Becky Adlington going in the two events again. The nice things is we have strength in depth.

"We have Kerri-Anne Payne in the open water, Gemma Spofforth in the backstroke, Lizzie Simmonds in the backstroke, Hannah Miley, Ellen Gandy, Jemma Lowe. Every time a Brit gets on the blocks I'm sure the nation will get excited."

Former Olympian Mark Foster tells the BBC the GB swimming team has more hopes of medals in London compared to the six won in Beijing, particularly in the women's events.

"The men's team were the better team years ago, and now it's all about the women's. The aim is to get at least the same amount as Beijing, so the pool work has to be done better," says Foster.

QPR consider loaning Joey Barton to a Football League club to speed up the serving of his 12-match ban. FA rules allow the Loftus Road club to apply for Barton to serve the ban with another club. QPR are considering all options with regards to the midfielder going out on loan.

Everton withdraw from the inaugural Java Cup in Indonesia after failing to receive assurances over the tournament.

Turkish champions Galatasaray have already pulled out and following the failure of the organisers to confirm the competing teams, the Toffees have decided not to travel.

"This decision was not taken lightly and we apologise for the obvious inconvenience caused to our supporters who have made or were planning to make the trip, and to our Indonesian fans, who were looking forward to seeing Everton in action," says an Everton statement.

Why is swimmer Grant Turner, who secured silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, keeping the faith?

"I'm a massive Bon Jovi fan and one of their songs is called 'Keep the Faith'," Swindon-born Turner tells BBC Wiltshire. "That song has always stuck in my mind and I always listen to it before big meetings. I've even had the words tattooed on the inside of my arm - it means that much to me."

More on the news Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association relating to recent comments on Twitter.

"The allegation is that Frimpong posted comments amounting to improper conduct and/or which brought the game into disrepute, which included a reference to ethnic origin, faith or race," reads a statement on the FA website. "The player has until 4pm on 27 July 2012 to respond to the charge."

Sri Lanka ease to a comprehensive nine-wicket win over India in the second one-day international to level the five-match series.

The home side were never in danger after devastating bowling from Thisara Perera and Angelo Mathews saw India dismissed for just 138. Sri Lanka secured victory a ball short of 20 overs with the loss of only Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Luka Modric has trained at Tottenham's Chigwell base for a second successive day. The Croatian midfielder spent around four hours working alongside Steven Pienaar, who is also expected to leave the club this summer.

Real Madrid remain the frontrunners for Modric's signature but they are yet to increase their £27m offer for the player, who Spurs value closer to £40m. Spurs play the first match of their pre-season tour against Los Angeles Galaxy in California on Tuesday night.

World number one William Fox-Pitt says Team GB's eventers must target personal-best performances in the quest for Olympic gold.

A quintet of Fox-Pitt, Mary King, Tina Cook, Zara Phillips and Nicola Wilson offers considerable podium potential, and Fox-Pitt says: "I think we have got our work cut out - there are some very good teams out there - but Team GB is fit and well. If we get there in one piece with the best horses we can ride, we've got a good chance. But things have to go our way, off course they have to. We need to put in our personal best performances and give the Germans, the Kiwis and the French a run for their money."

West Indies captain Darren Sammy on batsman Chris Gayle, who will play his first Test match for more than 18 months on Wednesday when the Windies face New Zealand: "It is very exciting to have Chris back. I know he is looking forward to being back out in the white clothes."

Three-time Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie, the undoubted star of Team GB's sailing team, is frustrated by those expecting him to coast to victory.

"It is absolutely not that clear cut," Ainslie says. "It is a bit of a frustration for me personally that people may be saying 'your the favourite' for the Olympics. The standard of the event is really so much higher than before. In the Finn class, there are 10 or 12 guys that on their day can go out and be a threat and win races."

Paul di Resta is eager to bounce back in Hungary this weekend after failing to score in two consecutive races for the first time in a year.

Di Resta suffered a lap-two retirement at the British Grand Prix before finishing 11th in Germany on Sunday.

"We have the baseline speed in the car, but we just couldn't demonstrate it on Sunday in Germany and that's why I missed out on points," says Di Resta. "Hopefully we can find the sweet spot this weekend before the summer break."

Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry tells the club's website he is targeting a swift return to action after undergoing abdominal surgery.

Barry, who was ruled out of England's Euro 2012 squad through injury, says: "I think the worst of it is over now. There will be a two-week healing process, and I have started my rehab to try to get fit and catch up with the rest of the lads."

Lionel Messi will miss Barcelona's friendly in Germany against Hamburg SV later today after bruising his calf in training.

A scan had revealed the extent of the injury and the Argentine World Player of the Year has remained in the Catalan capital for treatment.

New coach Tito Vilanova, who replaced Pep Guardiola at the end of last season, says: "If he played he would be risking a more serious injury. We hope he can be available for Saturday."

More from Jonathan Marks, the agent of Phillips Idowu, who tells the BBC: "Phillips got the letter yesterday. And we are more than happy to send the BOA the medical records. He's incredibly disappointed and surprised as to why the BOA have chosen to do this. I can't understand the benefit to the athlete.

"Our office has even had a call from a member of the BOA medical team who has also expressed surprise at the organisation's decision to go public with the request. Phillips is an athlete who's proven that if he gets to the start line then he is one of those athletes who can win a medal."

The agent of Phillips Idowu hits back at the British Olympic Association over their public demands to see the injured triple jumper's medical records.

Jonathan Marks says the 2009 world champion is "disappointed and surprised" at the BOA's decision to invoke a clause in their team members' agreement which allows them to access information which "could impact on an athletes' ability to compete at the London Games".

Team GB gymnast Louis Smith, who won a bronze medal in Beijing, tells BBC News that London 2012 will be nothing like as scary as when he appeared on the X-Factor.

"That was one of the scariest things I've ever done," says the 23-year-old. "I was so out of my comfort zone. If I do get a result at the London Olympics then the impact it will have on the nation will be monstrous."

Swansea sign a deal that will see the club move to a new state-of-the-art training facility. The agreement with Swansea University will see the development of a jointly-owned complex in the Fairwood area near the university campus.

"Our aim as a football club has always been to develop a top-flight training facility, but also to develop a good working relationship with like-minded organisations and people," says Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins.

It is hoped the first pitches will be ready by October, with the rest of the redevelopment taking place over the next 12-18 months.

Leeds second rower Brett Delaney is cleared to play in next month's Carnegie Challenge Cup Final. The Australian damaged a thumb in the Rhinos' 34-16 Super League win over Bradford last Friday, but has been been told he does not need an operation.

He is set to miss Leeds' next match, a trip to Wakefield next Monday, but will be available for the clash with Warrington at Wembley on 25 August.

"Our medical team will continue to monitor him but we are very confident he will be okay for Wembley and hasn't been ruled out for Monday yet, although that is unlikely," says Leeds coach Brian McDermott.

This is what Sir Matthew Pinsent said on who he thought might light the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony on Friday: "There is a very decent line of theory that says London has done very unexpected things so far. They might steer away from an athlete or a sporting icon completely and do a young person or someone from the East End. Or the other theory is the mechanism; everyone thinks of the archer in 1992 so it could be some fancy way with the way that the flame gets into the torch."

Former Olympic rowing champion Sir Matthew Pinsent believes now is the time that Great Britain's medal contenders will start to feel under pressure. He told the BBC News at One: "Our most famous athletes are now really under cosh. They are going to have to prove themselves. The other athletes, they should see it as their opportunity in a home Games and really go out and enjoy it." Pinsent also said that the lighting of the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony on Friday might not necessarily be done by an athlete.

More on the injury worries about British triple jumper Phillips Idowu. The British Olympic Association have asked him for details on a hip injury that kept him away from a training camp. Team GB chef de mission Andy Hunt told BBC News: "The situation is he hasn't gone to the preparation camp in Portugal. Our chief medical officer has written to him and after we have heard back we can make a decision. Let's understand the nature of the injury first. There's no decision to be taken yet."

The Queen has sent her "warmest congratulations" to Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins. The Queen said in her message, sent yesterday: "I send you my warmest congratulations on becoming the first British cyclist ever to win the Tour de France. Your historic achievement of claiming overall victory in this prestigious event is a great testament to the efforts of you and your team-mates."

Michael Schumacher believes Mercedes have made progress this season, even if the points tally says otherwise. The seven-times champion has managed to haul himself up to 12th in the drivers' standings with 29 points, 27 of those in the last three races. Schumacher said: "If we only look at the points, it doesn't seem so good, but if you look a bit deeper, and at certain results, then the overall picture is much better. We have taken a clear step forward and already achieved a few highlights."

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has insisted manager Brendan Rodgers will have the final say on the future of £35million striker Andy Carroll. Werner told Sky Sports News: "The only thing I can say is we will do what's best for the club. At the moment, Andy is on the squad. He was an important member of the English team, he has got a lot of talent and we will see what happens there. Brendan is clearly the leader here, and hopefully the question will be answered shortly."

The Olympic Torch is winging its way through west London today from Kingston to Ealing. Former Olympic champion rower James Cracknell has already had his hands on the golden flame, and later on former Wimbledon champion will also be joining in as it heads to a finale in Ealing's Walpole Park. You can follow its route and get updates via the Olympic Torch website.

Lucas Moura's agent has claimed a proposed move to Manchester United will not go through unless Sir Alex Ferguson meets Sao Paulo's asking price. The Scot confirmed his interest in the 19-year-old forward, but denied claims that the two clubs had reached an agreement. The player's agent, Wagner Ribeiro, said: "Manchester United have reached their limit, they will not offer anything more. He will not leave. He is happy in Sao Paulo."

London's Big Ben clock will ring for three minutes to celebrate the first day of the Olympic Games on Friday, organisers have said. It is the first time it has rung outside its regular hours since the funeral of King George VI in 1952. It will chime 42 times from 0812 BST after special permission was granted by parliament and thousands of bells across Britain will join in.

Hull KR second rower Con Mika has been charged with a reckless high tackle made during his side's defeat by Hull last night. Mika was put on report by the referee for the challenge which laid out Hull centre Jordan Turner and was today charged by the Rugby Football League's match-review panel with a grade B offence. He could face a one or two-match ban.

Nottingham Forest are in talks to sign Danny Collins from Stoke City.

Ministers have decided to deploy an additional 1,200 troops that were put on standby last week to cover Olympic security. Locog chief executive Paul Deighton says the move is to absolutely de-risk security programme and not reflection on securing firm G4S.

Former Tour de France winner Cadel Evans has declared himself ready to lead Australia's attempt at spoiling Great Britain's cycling chances in the London Olympics. The 2011 Tour winner finished seventh this year as Britain's Bradley Wiggins won the Yellow Jersey. Asked if he was fit after a gruelling Tour, Evans said: "Absolutely, I wouldn't bother getting on the plane if I wasn't. The Tour has been tiring for us and my Tour wasn't up to my expectations, or anyone's expectations, but for us eight days is a lot of recovery."

If you're starting to make plans of what to watch and when, then can we point you to this handy day-by-day guide? That is all.

Team GB's boxers are taking advantage of advanced computer technology in a bid to get one punch ahead of their opponents in London.

iBoxer was specially developed for the GB Boxing squad and performance analyst Robert Gibson explains: "Five years ago when I first started, we had videos all over the place in hard drives, laptops, desktops.

"What iBoxer has enabled us to do is pool all that information together into one central location that's easily shareable with the rest of the team."

Aldershot manager Dean Holdsworth turns down a chance to take over at newly promoted Crawley Town.

Shots chairman Kris Machala confirmed Holdsworth had rejected an "overwhelming" offer and was staying with the League Two club.

Crawley are currently without a manager after Sean O'Driscoll moved up a division to take over at Championship side Nottingham Forest.

Tonight on BBC Radio 5 live,Michael Johnsontakes your calls ahead of the start of the Games.

The legendary sprinter recently spoke to the BBC about coping with pressure in sport.

"Pressure is nothing more than the shadow of great opportunity," Johnson said.

"The mind is absolutely instrumental in achieving results. I trained my mind to be able to be disciplined and execute a strategy prior to a race, just like I trained my body."

Team GB chef de mission Andy Hunt speaks to BBC News about the British Olympic Association asking for Phillips Idowu's medical records: "The situation is he hasn't gone to the preparation camp in Portugal. Our chief medical officer has written to him and after we have heard back we can make a decision.

"Let's understand the nature of the injury first. There's no decision to be taken yet."

Former Everton and England left-back David Unsworth reacts to news of Tim Cahill's departure from Goodison Park.

"I'm not overly surprised. I don't think his form over the last six months has been what it used to be. He's been a fantastic servant for Everton - a bargain buy. He's scored many goals but his form has just waned a little bit. I'm sure he goes with everyone's best wishes," he told BBC Sport.

"I think it suits all parties. Tim has been linked with a move to for the last six months. I don't think Everton fans are surprised."

Sale captain Sam Tuitupou believes the club's next target should be a top-four Premiership finish.

"We want to improve on how we went last year so we're looking at top four and winning a few games in the Heineken Cup," the 30-year-old told BBC Radio Manchester.

How sports science helped Manchester City claim their first Premier League title; there's a detailed analysis of behind-the-scenes at Etihad on the BBC Sport website.

Dr Sam Erith explains: "Our nutrition specialist, Tom Parry, talks to the players and analyses their diet and habits. We look at blood data to see if there are any deficiencies or issues there and some of the saliva markers that might show their immune system is compromised.

"This, combined with a detailed breakdown of their work-rate profiles in games and training, helps us to guide them to the most appropriate nutritional and recovery strategies."

Fleetwood Town assistant manager Craig Madden tells to BBC Sport about QPR midfielder Joey Barton training with the League Two outfit.

"I've no idea why he wants to come to Fleetwood. I'm sure he would have had other offers. It's a big coup for the club," he said.

"Talk of him signing on loan is a long shot. I'm sure avenues have been looked at but as far as we're concerned he's just coming to get himself fit."

Saracens' new ground at Barnet Copthall Stadium will be named Allianz Park.

A six-year deal worth £8m has been signed with the German finance company.

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas says the club had no option but to fine midfielder Luka Modric for missing a pre-season tour.

"The chairman and myself have been very, very open with this situation. We are willing to listen to offers for the player," said the Spurs manager.

"The club has to take action about a player who is missing from club duty."

Sussex have wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior available for their FL t20 quarter-final against Gloucestershire

The 30-year-old, who played for England in their first Test defeat to South Africa, averages 46.75 in his four domestic T20 innings this season.

Sharks coach Mark Davis told BBC Sussex: "Matt has been unbelievable and it's hard to believe England don't choose [him] in their T20 side."

Olympic bronze medallist Kriss Akabusi believes 400m hurdler Jack Green can reach the Olympic final and even win a medal at the Games.

Akabusi, who was third in 1992, mentors the 20-year-old and believes he can cause a surprise in London.

"Jack's a phenomenal young man with his head on his shoulders," Akabusi told BBC Radio 5 live.

"He can make the Olympic final. If he does, he can run 48 seconds low and he could be on the podium and up there."

Liverpool light heavyweight Tony Bellew will fight two-time IBF world title challenger Edison Miranda for the WBC belt at Alexandra Palace in London on 8 September.

Darren Barker co-headlines the bill, facing Italian middleweight champion Simone Rotolo for the IBF Inter Continental middleweight title.

The British Olympic Association writes to triple jumper Phillips Idowu asking for details about the injury which has cast doubt on his chances for the Games.

Idowu, 33, failed to travel to a warm weather training camp in Portugal on Monday, prompting the BOA to seek clarification about his hip injury.

One way to build an Olympic champion? Come second and 'fail'. Ben Oakley from the Open University says an experience of failure can prove a precious weapon in an athlete's competitive armoury.

"Coming second is not something most coaches recommend but, with hindsight, most champions recognise that this is one key to success," Oakley says.

"How athletes respond to failure and learn from it is part of what shapes a champion."

Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny signs a new long-term contract to stay in north London.

"I'm delighted to have reached agreement with the club," said 26-year-old Koscielny on the Arsenal website.

"I have had a fantastic time here and look forward to an exciting future with Arsenal."

Carlos Tevez caddying during the final round of the Open is "absolute madness", according to championship committee chairman Jim McArthur.

"He never put the bag down, even when he was standing on the green - it's just absolute madness," McArthur is quoted as saying in several newspapers.

"I think we need to to look at this particular case. We normally get a list of caddies at the start of the week."

BBC Radio 5 live's Formula 1 analyst Jaime Alguersuari tells BBC Sport that Sebastian Vettel deserved a penalty during the German Grand Prix at the weekend.

Alguersuari says: "Vettel was involved in two controversial incidents during the German Grand Prix - and in both of them he was in the wrong."

Captain Andrew Strauss says England can draw on recent success to recover from their innings defeat by South Africa.

Former South Africa Test player Fanie De Villiers tells BBC Radio 5 live: "If you are number one in the world then no-one should demolish you like that. Before the Test started, I said England's batting line-up was superior to ours. Surely England have the potential to be much better than that.

"England really need to look at what happened. They were humiliated in the first innings."

Joe Allen believes Team GB's men's football team's fitness will peak for their Olympic opener against Senegal on Friday after the "perfect preparation" in their 2-0 defeat by Brazil.

Swansea's Allen said: "We feel when we go into the first game that's when we'll really start peaking in terms of fitness and in terms of preparation."

QPRconfirm on their website that former club captain Joey Barton, 29, will train with League Two side Fleetwood Town while he serves a 12-game ban at the start of the new season.

London is about to stage its third modern Olympics - the only city to do so - but its seeds were sown in the controversial, yet defining, 1908 Games and the austere, post-war Games of 1948. So, how do all three compare? BBC News has been analysing the similarities and differences.