Olympic Question Time: your questions answered

Q. I keep seeing what appears to be a radio-controlled Hummer. What is it? Gary Laster

A. Yes, it really is a remote-controlled car, used to return hammers, javelins and discuses to athletes. But they're not Hummers — they're Minis, supplied by Games sponsor BMW. It does sound incredibly lazy, but then each car covers the best part of four miles a day.

Q. Why do some athletes have gaffer tape all over them? Brian Atkinson

A. It's Kinesio tape, used for minor muscle injuries. It's stretchy and offers a little support, but mainly it lifts the skin away from the muscle, boosting circulation, which helps minimise the inflammation and pain from pulls and strains. Many scientists, on the other hand, believe it achieves precisely nothing.

Q. Is there an advantage to being in any particular lane in sprints? Cosmo Cooper

A. The middle is the place to be. On the inside, the bend is too tight to hit full speed — hence lane one is abandoned and lanes two to nine are used instead. In the outside lanes, it's hard to see where your rivals are (other than on the big screen) as they start behind you. Even in the 100m, no one likes lanes one, two and three: if wind blows into the stadium, the runners close to the centre are buffeted the most.

Please send your questions to olympicquestions@independent.co.uk, or tweet using #indyolympics, live from the stadium — or your sofa.