Watch out Beijing, it's the Paddy Olympics

By Alastair Himmer

TOKYO (Reuters) - Forget Beijing. Madcap Irishman Colin Carroll, part-time sumo "flyweight" and a world champion in elephant polo, has unveiled plans to launch the "Paddy Olympics."

While his latest brainwave has perhaps come a little too late to steal the thunder from this year's Beijing Olympics, the 35-year-old reckons he has struck gold with his idea.

"We would have the old favorites like bathtub races, backwards running and the egg-and-spoon 100 meters," Carroll told Reuters in a telephone interview from his home in the Irish city of Cork.

"We may look into the possibility of using the whip in the bathtub races. Instead of discus throwing there would be mobile phone throwing.

"For the relays we could have mixed teams -- two humans and two dogs. Animals are good."

He added: "We may even be in time to host the first Paddy Olympics prior to Beijing. Dope testing would imply an entirely different thing of course."

Carroll shot to fame in 2005, taking time off from his day job as a lawyer to win a surprise gold for Ireland at the world elephant polo championships in the Nepali jungle.

He risked life and limb a year later to become Ireland's first grappler at the world sumo championships but had to sign a death waiver first because of his pint-sized frame.