Sydney equestrian jinx OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK By Adrian Robson BERMUDA'S equestrian involvement in the Sydney Games seems to be jinxed.

Following the death of MJ Tumbridge's horse, Bermuda's Gold, last week, up and coming Island rider Ki-juan Minors -- one of three young Bermudians brought to Australia as members of the Olympic Youth Camp -- was forced to pack his bags early yesterday after receiving news of the death of his grandmother.

Minors had been in Sydney with teenage triathletes Alison Petty and Nick Taylor.

After attending a number of Olympic events and functions, the trio were to have been given a guided tour of the Games Village yesterday.

But while Petty and Taylor met up with Bermuda's chef de mission Phil Guishard, and later visited the Bermuda complex where they were greeted by sports minister Dennis Lister and BOA president Austin Woods, Minors prepared to board a plane bound for home.

*** SWIMMING has proved by far the most popular sport among Australians during these Games.

But it could be argued, in this part of the world at least, it remains the most dangerous.

Another surf fatality was recorded on the weekend when a visiting 25-year-old New Zealander was attacked and killed by a great white shark.

Such attacks aren't uncommon in Australia, and while this one was particularly tragic -- the victim had just arrived on his honeymoon -- it warranted no more than a single column article on page five of the daily newspaper.

*** WHAT'S the most popular sport inside the Games Village? It shouldn't come as any great surprise given the average age of the competitors but, dare we say it, sex seems to be keeping the athletes as busy as any of their rigorous training regimes.

Condoms have been one of the Games' hottest selling items with the Village store reporting a roaring trade -- the manager noting that Cubans, in particular, had been busy stocking up.

It's seemingly been a similar story in the city where Sydney's notorious King's Cross brothels have had to fly in working girls from as far afield as Perth and New Zealand to keep up with demand.

Madam Fleiss, an upmarket escort agency, reported that business was up 30 percent. Among her clients have been an entire Olympic basketball team and a Games soccer squad.

And before the politicians start tutt-tutting, it can also be revealed that the agency has received a single booking this week for 15 of its girls at a five-star city hotel -- to attend to the needs of some visiting parliamentarians!