Australia's Olympic Committee president, aghast at the sight of Britain above his country in the Olympic medals table, has vowed revenge, if not now then on British soil in 2012.

"They're certainly serving it up to me," John Coates told a roomful of downcast Australian journalists yesterday when asked how to cope with gloating British fans and officials.

"Their new-found cockiness has got some substance to it," he added.

Britain, Olympic hosts in 2012, were in third place in the medals table yesterday morning, one place and one gold medal ahead of Australia.

Australia and former colonial ruler Britain have a strong sporting rivalry, particularly in rugby union and cricket. Australia thrashed the English cricket team 5-0 last year after a rare English success in the previous series.

Coates has similar payback in mind.

"I said at the outset, and my sense of pride says, that we can't let them beat us but let's use that as incentive for our attack on 2012," he said.

China urge Liu on to glory

China's leaders have thrown their support behind Liu Xiang, the champion hurdler who stunned the nation with his abrupt departure from the Beijing Olympics, urging him to overcome injury and return to "glory".

Liu was the host nation's best hope of an athletics gold medal at the Beijing Olympics and his pained withdrawal from the 110m hurdles on Monday was a huge blow in a country where his image hangs on countless billboards.

In a sign of the national prestige invested in the hurdler, Chinese vice president Xi Jinping sent Liu a "get well" message.

The ruling Communist Party's leadership had been "very concerned about Liu Xiang's injury, and hopes he will receive swift treatment and soon heal", said the message.

The message underscores how Liu's quest to repeat his victory of the 2004 Athens Games meant so much in the country where track and field gold medals have remained scarce despite China's position at top of the medal table.

Shirts with 'curves' in table tennis

Table tennis is desperate to attract more viewers and some in the sport believe a simple enough solution exists: get the women to wear skirts and shirts with "curves".

Half-empty stands for women's games at the Olympics in China, the country most obsessed with table tennis, reinforce concerns that the sport needs a make-over to shed its fusty image.

Women players mostly wear baggy shorts and shirts unlike their tennis counterparts who dress for comfort as well as style.

"We are trying to push the players to use skirts and also nicer shirts, not the shirts that are made for men, but ones with more curves," International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) vice president Claude Bergeret said.

Second 49er protest rejected

A second protest by Spanish 49er silver medallists Iker Martinez and Xavier Fernandez against the gold medal awarded to Denmark's Jonas Warrer and Martin Kirketerp Ibsen was rejected yesterday.

"We have upheld our original decision," chairman of the jury David Tillett told Reuters. "We do not believe we made any errors."

A protest by the race committee and Spain was rejected by an international jury on Monday, a day after Denmark took gold after an extraordinary medal race in which Warrer and Ibsen sailed in a boat borrowed from the Croatian team after their mast snapped on the way to the start.

Spain have the option of filing another appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Gebrselassie regrets decision

Marathon world record-holder Haile Gebrselassie regrets pulling out of the 42-km race at the Olympics over fears that Beijing's air pollution would damage his health.

"I'm surprised. What do you expect from me? I was here in February, I didn't see no blue sky," the Ethiopian runner told Reuters.

"Since I came here everything is perfect. They should tell us," he added with a laugh.

Asked if he was now sorry not to be running in next Sunday's marathon, he chuckled again and said: "Don't push me. Yes."

Gebrselassie, a 35-year-old who suffers from asthma, announced in March that he would not participate in the marathon.

Best air in a decade

Olympic host Beijing enjoyed its cleanest air in 10 years this month and will adopt strict new measures to ensure its notorious smog does not return. Over the past 18 days, air quality in the capital ranged between excellent and fairly good on China's index, Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, told reporters.

And he pledged good conditions would continue.

"Beijing will be built into a liveable city," Du said. "We will take some new measures to ensure that air quality will reach a new level after the Olympic Games."

Du said those measures would be announced after the Games end on Sunday, once officials had studied Beijing's "successful experiences".