As if it's not hot enough in Hong Kong, here we are getting overheated about the Olympics, but it strikes me that the excitement is whipped up more by the hype than the competition itself.
In stark contrast to the recent European Soccer Championships when Cable had exclusive television rights, we are able to watch Olympic action on ATV World, TVB Pearl and Cable, which, from Saturday, is devoting its Sports Channel to more than '400 hours' of live coverage (it is being renamed the Olympic Channel for the duration of the event).
Many people will watch the Olympics simply because it is here. I suspect that were Cable the only station televising it, the hordes who crammed into the territory's bars and hotels for the Euro soccer matches would be found knocking back pints on junk trips.
The reason is obvious: the combined events of the Olympics do not generate the passions and fervour of a soccer competition, and, more importantly, they do not make such consistently good television.
After the rather jingoistic unity of the Opening Ceremony, which is being shown live at 8am (Hong Kong time) on Saturday, the games split up into a complicated cross-section of events, few involving household names, in sports we hear of only once every four years.
For instance, the preliminary stages of the archery or judo are unlikely to be treated as anything but excuses for a coffee break or an opportunity to shove a load of washing into the machine - except by those sports' limited core of enthusiasts.
That said, the appeal of the track, that true meeting point of gladiators, cannot be under-estimated. Though the sprint finals will be over in the time it takes to blow your nose, we will all be enthralled by every muscle-bulging stride taken by the likes of Michael Johnson, Linford Christie and Frankie Fredericks.