Sport wins the day at Olympics as Messi plays on

THE 29th Olympics will be officially opened at a glittering ceremony in Beijing today, with thousands of athletes ready to put their hopes and dreams to the test, and the spirit of the Games shone like a beacon in China yesterday when Barcelona allowed their star player Lionel Messi to turn out for Argentina in the football tournament.

Messi played – and scored – in his country's 2-1 Olympic victory over Ivory Coast after a late deal was struck with the Catalan giants. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had ruled on Wednesday that Barcelona were not obliged to release him for the tournament – raising the prospect that he could be called home. CAS upheld an appeal from Barcelona after Fifa, football's world governing body, said clubs must release eligible players.

Barcelona were keen to have Messi available for their Champions League qualifier against Poland's Wisla Krakow later this month, but their sports director Txiki Begiristain revealed that the club had reached a deal over insurance and release from future friendly games.

"We took the decision last night before we flew back from New York to Barcelona after hearing the decision from CAS. Messi will play at the Olympics," he said.

"We spoke to the player first of all and with our coach Pep Guardiola. We have an agreement that there is an insurance that will cover the whole of the player's salary if he is injured.

"We also have the word of the Argentina Football Association president that he will be released from having to play friendlies for the whole of the season.

"We wanted the player to be happy and he is."

Messi put Argentina 1-0 up against the African team with a 43rd-minute goal and his side went on to win 2-1.

The CAS has upheld similar appeals from German clubs Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen regarding the release of Brazilian pair Rafinha and Diego.

Yesterday's first round of men's football fixtures also produced an unlikely Scottish hero as Stuart Holden scored the winner for the United States' in a 1-0 victory over Japan.

Aberdeen-born Holden, who plays Major League Soccer for Houston, nudged the ball over the line in the 47th minute.

However, while excitement builds in the Olympic village, there was only despondency in the British boxing camp yesterday when arguably their best gold-medal hope, Frankie Gavin, prepared to fly home with his dreams in tatters after being forced to withdraw from the Games due to his failure to hit the lightweight limit.

Gavin, who had remained at the British team's holding camp in Macau in a vain bid to shake off the extra pounds, finally admitted defeat in his long battle and will not now attend today's boxing weigh-in in Beijing.

The news has come as a hammer-blow for the British boxing team who had multiple medal hopes, none more so than Birmingham's Gavin, who would have started as gold medal favourite after winning the world title in Chicago last year.

Great Britain head coach Terry Edwards said: "Frankie has been working his whole boxing career towards the Olympic Games and he is obviously completely devastated. Whilst the support staff down in Macau and I have done everything we could, regrettably it is clear that Frankie will not make his weight before tomorrow morning's weigh-in."

Questions are now bound to be asked about Gavin's weight-making tactics. He fought at light-welterweight throughout last year with the exception of Chicago, and frequently professed his difficulties in making the weight.

However, Gavin boiled down with great success in Chicago and it had been hoped he would do the same in Beijing, where the alternate-day boxing schedule would have allowed him more time to recover in time.

Ironically, in Gavin's absence, his light-welterweight team-mate Bradley Saunders now assumes the role of Britain's best boxing medal prospect, with all seven of the remaining team members holding a realistic chance.

Meanwhile, IOC president Jacques Rogge believes the Beijing Olympics will help show the world "the real China". On the eve of opening ceremony, Rogge claimed that the Games will open up the country to the rest of the world.

Rogge said: "The opening ceremony will be a very different matter here. Not only are the Chinese addressing the world, but they are addressing 1.3billion people in their own country, and I think we will see the real China.

"I think this will mean a lot for the perception of China. I believe the spotlight on China will help the world to understand China, and it will also help China to understand the world."