Five Ringed Circus

Weaire, Phelan inspire CubeTHE Water Cube, the groundbreaking development of the National Aquatic Centre in Beijing, is based on the geometric principle of soap bubbles developed by two Trinity College Dublin academics.

In 1993, Denis Weaire and Robert Phelan of TCD's School of Physics made a landmark discovery in foam physics, and created a new ideal structure of foam. The Weaire-Phelan structure went on to inspire the design of the Water Cube by the structural engineer Tristram Carfrae.

"It is a brilliant and original adaptation of the original shape," says Weaire.

Weaire has always maintained the structure was artistically and architecturally appealing and travelled to China to see the building close up when it was almost complete.

Weaire retired from TCD in October 2007 but is still highly active in research.

Robert Phelan is a consultant with the consultants McKinsey.

Boukpeti plans a visit to Togo

TOGO'S first medallist at an Olympics, the white-water kayaker Benjamin Boukpeti, may have over shared a little when he said it was finally time for him to visit the country he competes for. He was born in France to a French mother while his father and two sisters are from Togo.

"Unfortunately, I've only ever been once to Togo, when I was very little, because my mother wanted to present me to my grandmother," Boukpeti said after earning a kayaking bronze yesterday.

China's ugly and flawed logic

WE are always impressed by government truthfulness and when Cui Dalin, deputy director of the State General Administration of Sport, recently said that China had "never thought" of topping the medals table, we thought how terribly nice of the hosts.

The announcement came in the wake of Joseph Capousek, the former trainer of the Chinese Kayak team, claiming that actually the Chinese athletes were worked "like horses" and that the country runs a military-style sports machine in order to bring Olympic glory to China.

To top it, the red-dressed, pig-tailed angel Lin Miaoke, who charmed the world with a rendition of Ode to Motherland during the opening ceremony, did not sing at all but mimed the song. The voice belonged to Yang Peiyi, who in the government's eye just did not measure up physically. The real nine-year-old singer was not allowed to appear because she was not as "flawless" as Lin.

Ugly logic indeed.

Thunder sticks hit right note

THE embarrassing spectacle of swathes of empty seats has prompted Beijing organisers to draft in "cheerleader squads" of volunteers to fill the gaps.

Volunteers are given yellow or red T-shirts and "thunder sticks" and told to create a good atmosphere. Thunder sticks? Atmosphere? Leinster rugby, are you listening?

Qingdao's slick operation

HAVING managed to get the issue of air quality off the front pages, Chinese authorities are now wrestling with the prospect of sea pollution. An "oily slick" covering about two square kilometres was seen floating off the coast of Qingdao, where the sailing events are being held.

The unidentified substance on the sea's surface was first reported about 30 nautical miles from the sailing course on Monday evening.

A massive and unsightly bloom of more than a million tonnes of algae had appeared off the rocky beaches of Qingdao in July, embarrassing the host city.