IT'S GETTING A BIT BIZARRE

"With the Prime Minister wading into it, it's starting to get a little bizarre." So says our hero Ian Thorpe

Here's what the PM actually said:

JOHN HOWARD: I thought he was fantastic. I think he really said it all. He accepts that there are rules, it's a terrible disappointment, but I thought as a role model he couldn't have been better.

Time to take a few pointers from our sporting heroes, don't you think?