Arsene in awe of greatest show on earth

ARSENAL boss Arsène Wenger who has admitted to being enthralled by British success at the Beijing Olympics.

The Frenchman, who saw his Gunners side kick-start their campaign with a 1-0 victory over West Brom on Saturday, has marvelled at the competitors' ability to perform under the global spotlight.

And Wenger, who has publicly criticised the Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision to allow Barcelona to recall Argentinean Lionel Messi, insists there is no bigger spectacle than the Olympics.

"What captures the imagination and what is very interesting is to know how any given athlete, when they are under pressure, finds the resources to do better than they have done usually," he said. "Or do less good.

"That is what makes these athletes so special. They can deliver when the whole world expects a performance.

"There is a mysterious thing in human beings that means some can go beyond their level when it is expected and others go below what they usually do.

"In sport we have all been confronted with that type of problem. In football you have people who are a fraction inhibited in the big-level games and people who raise their level.

"That is why the Olympics games is a fantastic show. In every sport you see people who raise their level and manage to find the resources to win."

GERARD MEAGHER