The New Olympians

While the world collectively squees over the Olympics, and we Brits cross our fingers and hope we aren't sent home with the the booby prize, it's nice to know that the true spirit of sport is still alive and well.

Behold the Tranny Olympics! Shoreditch's second annual celebration of drag queen sports took place on Saturday 9 August. It saw scores of fabulous cross-dressers compete for a glittering array of Claire's Accessories medals in such gruelling events as "Pin the 'tail' on the Tranny" and "Guess the Tranny's weight".

These climaxed with the traffic stopping finale of the 100m Tranny Dash: a (fake) nailbiting sprint down Hoxton Rd by 50 drag queens. But don't take my word for it, watch the video for proof that competitive sport is compatible with big hair, sequins and platform stilettoes. Paula Radcliffe take note!



And what has this to do with the Olympian tradtion, I hear you ask. Well, it's simple. The Tranny Olympics demonstrates British excellence at our two national sports. No, not football and cricket. Cross-dressing and joining in.

Also, come to think about it, with their fondness for lycra, freakish body shapes and banned substances, drag queens have a lot in common with professional athletes. I bet Ben Johnson has a fabulous collection of weaves at home.