Olympic roundup

Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 8, 2002

Suspected bomb blown up by police

SALT LAKE CITY -- Police blew up a plastic grocery bag filled with fuses and electrical wire Thursday, calling the package near the media center a "hoax device."

Police said the bag might have been designed to see how authorities would react. It contained no explosives.

"There's some concern it was like a trial run," said Craig Gleason, a police spokesman.

The bag was left near a parking garage in a downtown area increasingly crowded with Olympic pedestrians the day before the Opening Ceremony.

"The package was, in fact, a hoax device," the Olympic Joint Terrorism Task Force said in a statement. "This was not an exercise."

The bag was found around noon by construction workers, who notified guards. A police squad detonated a device next to it to make sure it wasn't an explosive, then set off a second explosion to make sure the bag was destroyed.

Officials vowed to prosecute anyone involved.

Police evacuated two nearby buildings and military helicopters hovered over the area.

FRAIL FLAG: The torn flag that fluttered over the remains of the World Trade Center won't fly at the Games after all.

The frail banner was to be hoisted during tonight's Opening Ceremony as the official U.S. flag, but officials have determined it is too delicate for the predicted high winds.

Instead, an honor guard of eight U.S. athletes will carry the ground zero flag into Rice-Eccles Stadium a few minutes after the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings the national anthem. It will be unfurled and displayed to President Bush, then carried around the stadium while a second flag is hoisted next to the Olympic flame.

Short-track speed-skater Amy Peterson will carry a third stars and stripes into the stadium later in the ceremonies when she leads the U.S. team in the parade.

Skeleton competitor Jim Shea Jr., a third-generation Olympian, was chosen to recite the Olympic oath, an honor that goes to an athlete from the host country. His grandfather, Jack Shea, recited the oath in 1932 when the Games were in Lake Placid, N.Y. Jack Shea, who won two gold medals in speed skating, was killed in an auto accident Jan. 22 near Lake Placid.

MODEST ENTRY: The torch entered Salt Lake City the same way Mormon pioneers did 155 years ago, aboard a covered wagon. After 13,500 miles, the flame rolled down Emigration Canyon with the Salt Lake valley below. Thousands of spectators cheered as a runner jumped out of the wagon and ran toward a small stage, where a brief speech was made by an actor portraying Brigham Young.

BOBSLED: American Pavle Jovanovic lost his last chance to compete when an appeals panel suspended him for two years for failing a drug test. He had appealed his nine-month suspension, but instead of being cleared for the Games he drew a stiffer penalty. Jovanovic said he unintentionally took a banned steroid in a nutritional supplement.

FIGURE SKATING: The top pairs teams won't have to wait long to see how the competition shapes up. The seven leading contenders drew spots in the top 10 of the skating order for Saturday night's short program. That means with the competition only half over, they'll have a pretty good idea of where they stand. The free skate, worth two-thirds of the final score, is Monday night. Russia's Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze are the first of the gold-medal favorites to go, drawing the third spot. Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman, the three-time U.S. champions, skate 10th. The other Americans, Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn, drew the 11th spot. ... There will be a U.S. judge on each panel, but it was a close call for the women's competition. Joseph Inman of Alexandria, Va., was the last pick.

HOCKEY: The U.S. women routed Russia 7-0 at West Valley City, Utah, to extend their pre-Olympic record to 32-0. Tricia Dunn had two goals and three assists, and Andrea Kilbourne added three assists for the 1998 Olympic gold medalists. The Americans, who outshot Russia 41-12, open the tournament Tuesday against Germany. Russia, the surprising bronze medalist at the 2001 World Championships, faces Sweden on Monday.

SKIING: American Daron Rahlves had one of the fastest runs in downhill training, posting the third-quickest time. Rahlves was clocked in 1 minute, 39.77 seconds, the same as Lasse Kjus of Norway. Rahlves also will compete in the super-G. Gold-medal favorite Stephan Eberharter of Austria had the top time of 1:39.07, with teammate Fritz Strobl second at 1:39.19.

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