Canoeist's parents struck by lightning as storms hit Games

Florence's father George, 54, a British Airways pilot and former Scottish canoe champion and his mother Jill, 52, suffered shock, cuts and bruises.

British doctors at the nearby Olympic canoeing and rowing venue of Shunyi - where several events had to be postponed due to the weather - treated the family and they were ferried to a clinic, where they were being treated this afternoon.

A spokeswoman for Team GB said: "The tower they were sheltering in was struck by lightning, but fortunately they were not seriously injured. They have been taken to a clinic as a precautionary measure.

"I think it was shock more than anything else, a few scratches and bruises and not anything serious."

Florence, 26,who was not with his family, became the first Scotsman to land a medal for Team GB at the Olympics in Beijing with his silver in the men's singles slalom. His family were due to fly home on Sunday.

The white water canoe and kayak finals at Shunyi were delayed until tomorrow by heavy showers.

Thunder and lightning also played havoc with the rowing schedule at Beixiaoying Town near Beijing, forcing the postponement of several races for 24 hours.

Tomorrow had been planned as a rest day but races have been rescheduled to start in the afternoon, with the finals to be held on Saturday and Sunday.

In the tennis, Roger Federer's quarter final against American James Blake was delayed and many of the softball and baseball games were washed out.

The beach volleyball players struggled on in the torrential rain. But the bedraggled "beach girls" - bikini-clad dancers who usually have the crowds dancing in the aisles - fought a losing battle trying to drum up enthusiasm as loudspeakers blasted out a chorus of It's Raining Men.

At Qingdao in southern China, the city hosting the sailing competition, there was a different weather-related problem.

For the second day in a row, lack of wind affected the start of seven races.