Daley ups dress code

DECATHLON great Daley Thompson has been the best possible brand ambassador for adidas down the years because he invariably wears a three-stripe tracksuit in public — even if the dress code is black tie or morning dress. So it didn’t seem right to see Daley dressed up relatively smart for his pundit duties on BBC yesterday and in corporate hospitality at the London Stadium the night before.

THE next two big Rugby World Cup bid decisions are looking straightforward. Ireland are hot favourites to stage the 2023 event, with the vote in November. France are also in contention, but World Rugby don’t want to be overshadowed again by the hosts staging the Olympics the following year — as is the case with Tokyo. Meanwhile, the joint bid of the USA, Canada and Mexico is certain to be chosen next June for football’s 2026 World Cup. Morocco appear to have no chance — even if they resort to bribes, as it is alleged they did with their bid for the 1998 tournament. They later denied wrongdoing. COACHING Jessica Ennis-Hill to Olympic gold has given Toni Minichiello a massive status in athletics. That hasn’t stopped other coaches being bewildered by some of his views as a BBC pundit. And there is certainly no love lost between Minichiello and his BBC colleague Denise Lewis, who was coached by Charles van Commenee, Minchiello’s great rival.

MARK ROBERTS, a self-publicist serial streaker who escaped without charge from his naked dash at the London Stadium just before Usain Bolt’s 100m final, had been planning to do the same at the Olympic Games in Rio. He opted out at the last moment when confronted by a soldier carrying a machine gun. Pity.