The Russians are way out in first place with 21 medals, and Germany Britainin's enduring sporting nemesis – was pleasingly in fourth place last night.
There was fury from National Lottery distributors, who will have to contribute £675m - on top of their initial £1.5bn commitment - towards the cost of the Olympics, and a warning that an enduring sporting legacy from the games will be endangered by a £223m reduction in funding for grassroots sport.
But the car, which pioneered an enduring sport-sedan archetype, is not slowing down for the pity party.
What's more British than that, then, smart-ass?" The most British thing is ultimately the concept of failure, and more specifically football failure: Our enduring sporting image is less Bobby Moore lifting the World Cup and more Gazza in tears; less Geoff Hurst spanking a fourth in off the goalpost and more Wayne Rooney stomping Ricardo Carvalho on the bollocks.
What's more British than that, then, smart-arse?" The most British thing is – ultimately – the concept of failure, and more specifically football failure: our enduring sporting image is less Bobby Moore lifting the World Cup and more Gazza in tears; less Geoff Hurst spanking a fourth in off the goalpost and more Wayne Rooney stomping Ricardo Carvalho on the bollocks.
The British may love sport but our most intimate and enduring sporting relationships tend to be with defeat and disappointment.
As unbelievable as it might sound, for a second consecutive year it appears the most enduring sports franchise in the nation's second-largest market will be available to only 30% of local television households.
It was indeed and remained so for two unflagging weeks and, last night in the Olympic Stadium, the instinct was not to disinter old arguments but to celebrate the enduring capacity of sport, however flawed and filled with doubt at times, to lift up the people, remind them more of what they share than what keeps them apart.
But for anyone savvy with developments in the state's racing industry – and anyone whose grey-matter recalls opening day attendances at Santa Anita of 60,000 – they would have recognized it as another grey day for a sport enduring an altogether bleak winter of discontent.
A long stint in the driving position, especially while enduring the firm Sport mode suspension settings, left my derrière nearly as numb as sitting on stone blocks at the Arena di Verona for the two and a half hours of "Aida".
Minute Media's belief is that sports publishing has lacked a lot of innovation for years, and that — plus sports' enduring popularity — made it an interesting and lucrative area to tackle.
