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Workers' Stadium, Beijing

Last night I indulged an Olympic guilty pleasure. It was hot and sweaty, kept me up very late and involved lots of Brazilians. I knew it was wrong but I couldn't help it.

The was like nothing else I've witnessed at these Olympics. In fact, it was like nothing else I've witnessed full stop.

Before I continue I should state I'm not sure football - or certainly some of the players involved - should really be here. Having earlier questioned tennis's place in the Olympics, any other position would smack of bias.

The match was a cracker. Tense and tight in the first half, Argentina poached two quick goals at the start of the second. They then survived a Brazilian rally, before killing the game off with a third from the penalty spot. The team in gold ended the game in disarray, while the team in blue and white left dreaming of gold.

Beijing

I think my wife might be a secret member of the : like them, she just doesn't get why anybody would want to play a sport they'll never be any good at.

Sunday football makes about as much sense to her as 's career does to me and grass-roots sport does to the Chinese authorities.

It seems in this country, there's elite sport and there's getting sweaty for no sane reason - and not much in between.

Which might explain why China's population of 1.3bn will produce enough divers, gymnasts and weightlifters to win the - but not enough footballers to beat Belgium, at home.

Welcome to our Olympics and Paralympics blog, which we are launching as the countdown to the begins in earnest.

Wednesday marks exactly 100 days to go to the 8 August opening ceremony (though oddly enough the football tournament starts two days earlier).

Writers from across Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Sport, Radio 5Live, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ London and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News will bring you the inside track on all , as well as the Games themselves - which are set to be truly fascinating, if controversial, given China's hosting of them.

One of the uncertainties at the moment from a British perspective is whether the Games will turn out to be a triumph - or a failure. My view is...

Keep reading this blog for all the latest about the Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing and also for the inside track on the long build-up to London 2012.

News and reports will be on the but our experts will bring you behind the scenes access to the world's biggest sporting event right here.

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