The London 2012 games are awakening long-dormant sporting passions of all kinds. With the medal count at stake, disciplines that usually barely get mentioned have become the focus of devoted attention. When rowers Helen Glover and Heather Stanning won the UK's first gold medal of the Games last Friday, the whole country beamed with pride, and it turned ecstatic when Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins secured Britain's second gold medal the very same day. Since then, Britain has added a flurry of gold medals to its tally: Jessica Ennis won the heptathlon, Mo Farah flew through the 10,000 meter race, and Andy Murray triumphed in the men's tennis final over his rival Roger Federer.

Artists are not immune to the Olympic buzz. Only hours before Glover and Stanning's feat, Mark Titchner — in a mood that now seems like a distant memory — had uploaded a text piece on the Guardian's website saying: "Wanted gold medal. Please, can we have just one gold. Any sport. We're not bothered, as soon as possible. Please. Come on Team GB!"

To keep up with the Olympic spirit, ARTINFO UK has gathered ten of the very best sports-inspired contemporary artworks.

To see the 10 best works of sports-related contemporary art, click the slide show.

This article appears on ARTINFO UK.