I read on the BBC website this morning that certain countries provide financial incentives to its gold medal winners. Some of these include Singapore who gives a prize of $745,264 to all gold medal holders. Other countries include:

Moldova $132,000

France $55,000

But there are other countries who provide non-monetary incentives. These include Iran who award gold shoes, Belarus who, with a sausage company, provide a life time supply of sausage and the USA who allow you to cheat the full force of the law if you make up a drunken story and lie to the police.

GB don't officially get any monetary incentive however they will stand a good chance of being included in the Honours list and access to high profile sponsorship campaigns. They should also receive a good welcome when they return but no doubt allegations of doping and foul play will continue to rear their head in the media.

Yesterday I spent a delightful few hours in Pontevedra Museum. There are two parts to it; an art gallery over four floors and a collection of pottery, carvings, ancient artefacts and modern art. I surprised my host when I said I had seen a Miro, a Picasso and a Dali in the museum section of the building as he said he had missed these. I wonder what creative gems we miss when they're right under our noses. Take time to explore your local museum or art gallery. Leeds Art Gallery is one such example.

Finally on the subject of art, I have become increasingly interested in the Gallician painter, caricaturist, writer and politician Alfonso Castelao. He was a prominent voice in the 1920s and 30s initially then set up various bodies and groups to support persecuted peoples, especially in Galicia. Anyway I'm not an expert so the above biography is sketchy at present. However the art he produced is beautiful, comical and in places extremely thought provoking. More on him to follow but if you check out his Arenga you will get a flavour of what he is all about.