7 OCTOBER 2000, Page 38

Olympian heights

From Mr Hector Macdonald Sir: You wrote in your 'Portrait of the week' column (23 September) that the `Olympic Games began in Sydney with an incomprehensible ceremony involving a number of semi-clad Aborigines'.

It was not feasible to dumb down the ceremony so that the editorial staff of The Spectator could understand it. For this we apologise. The final medal count, of course, is clear to all: Great Britain 28, Australia 58.

Hector Macdonald

Pullenvale, Queensland, Australia