When I was at school there was an exercise called 'burpees'. This consisted of stretching out flat, then jumping up in the air. Think of it as a pushup followed by a star jump and you'll get the idea. They were torture, even when I was young and fit. After 20 or more of those, my wrists and knees would ache, and I know I wasn't the only one.

I was reminded of this because of a recent web release from law firm Simmons, Jannace & Stagg. The web release states that Nancy Burpee has lost the battle to be reinstated in the 2004 Paralympic Games team. Ms Burpee was disqualified from the paralympic swim team on a technicality. The law firm has represented Ms Burpee in an action against the US Olympic Committee, arguing that the Australian referee was biased against Ms Burpee. An independent arbitrator upheld the original decision.

What exercises did you hate at school? My other pet hate was cross-country running.