• Adam Kerfoot-Roberts Wikimedia Commons

In what seems like an extreme misunderstanding of body-mass issues, Olympic heptathlete Jessica Ennis has been labelled "fat". Apparently a high-ranking British Olympic official has suggested in all seriousness that one of Team GB’s brightest medal hopes is "fat and she's got too much weight".

Ennis’s coach Toni Minichiello has dismissed the comments and tried to shield the athlete from what he believes are damaging distractions to her Olympic preparation. "I've never had any issue with her weight or shape," he told The Guardian. "There are times I've wished she was taller, but that's it."

He pointed out that Ennis’s weight and body fat percentage had remained constant in recent times. He realises that the expectation that rests on Ennis means that many people feel entitled to voice an opinion. "I get emails, phone calls, text messages and voicemails giving me advice on what I should be doing with Jessica Ennis that's going to make a difference," he said. “"t's a lot of background noise that you can get easily distracted by."

Minichiello was also unimpressed by the British Olympic Association’s emphasis on a code of behaviour for athletes. He thought there were more important things to concentrate on. "You know what? Jessica doesn't have a problem with behaviour," he said. "We don't have an issue there, we're not going to get embroiled in bad stuff. It's an aesthetic. I may get into trouble for that."

It’s already apparent that a few Olympic niggles are already beginning to affect morale and team spirit in Team GB. Ennis, at least, is determined not to let it affect her.