Olympic official believes Iraq will compete in 2004
By Times Staff and Wire Reports
Published February 23, 2004
ATHENS, Greece - About two dozen Iraqi athletes are expected to participate in the Athens Games even if their Olympic committee is not fully functioning, the head of the Association of National Olympic Committees said Sunday.
"They can become full-fledged members of ANOC after the Games, but they will be able to take part in the Olympics," said Mario Vazquez Rana, president of the ANOC.
Rana said 20-24 athletes are "preparing for the Games.
"They are completely restructuring the committee, but they are still not ready. They haven't completed their work," Rana said of the Iraqis.
During the meetings, the ANOC will discuss the organization of the Athens Games and the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports.
"Our major concern is the doping problem," Rana said.
SAILING: Tim Wadlow and Peter Spaulding won the 49er class at the Olympic trials in Key Biscayne by 11 points over Dalton Bergan and Zack Maxam. Carol Cronin and Elizabeth Merrifield earned a berth in the Yngling class. Kevin Hall qualified in the Finn class, and John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree won the Tornado class.
NEW EVENTS: The 100-meter speed skating and team pursuit could be added for 2006. A decision is expected within two weeks.
TENNIS: Hewitt rallies for title
Sixth-seeded Lleyton Hewitt beat second-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-7 (1-7), 7-5, 6-4 to win the ABN Amro tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In the second set, Hewitt survived two break points in a seventh game that went to deuce seven times.
DIAMOND GAMES: Kim Clijsters beat Silvia Farina Elia 6-3, 6-0 to win the title in Antwerp, Belgium. It was Clijsters' first title in her native country and 21st overall.
KROGER ST. JUDE: Joachim Johansson won his first ATP title 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 over Nicolas Kiefer in Memphis. The Swede, 21, faced one break point. He routinely hit 137 mph on his serves and 130 even on some second serves as he avoided being broken in 55 games during the tournament.
ATP BUENOS AIRES: Top-seeded Guillermo Coria defeated Carlos Moya 6-4, 6-1 to win the title. Coria broke Moya in the third game of the first set, then took a 4-0 lead in the second behind two service breaks.
AUTOS: Schumacher miffed
Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher threatened to leave BMW Williams because he is unhappy with contract negotiations. Schumacher's contract is up for renegotiation in April, and the German said he had an oral agreement with team boss Frank Williams to stay before Williams backed out.
CHAMP SERIES: The new owners will not renew the contracts of Steve Olvey and Terry Trammel, the doctors credited with making the series' trauma team one of the world's best. They helped save the life of Alex Zanardi when he lost both legs in a crash in October 2001.
WINTER SPORTS: German sets 1,500 mark
Olympic champion Anni Friesinger posted the fastest time outdoors in the 1,500 meters in a speed skating World Cup event in Inzell, Germany. The German finished in 1:58.41, .89 seconds better than Karin Kania 18 years ago, .43 seconds faster than Dutchwoman Renate Groenewold and .82 seconds faster than American Jennifer Rodriguez and Annamarie Thomas of the Netherlands.
BOBSLED: Canada's Pierre Lueders, the 1998 Olympic champ, won the world title in Koenigsee, Germany. He beat German and 2002 Olympic champ Christoph Langen by 0.22 seconds.
PARIMUTUELS: Spend a Buck's son wins
Hard Buck edged in front of Balto Star by a head in the final two strides to win the Grade III Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap. Brazilian-bred Hard Buck, the 5-year-old son of Spend a Buck, came to the United States in the fall and has won his first three starts, all stakes.
GREYHOUNDS: Cayman Went will compete Wednesday in a qualifier for the five-sixteenths-mile Matinee Idol stakes at Derby Lane. The top four from the two qualifiers advance to Saturday's final. Cayman Went won last year. Other competitors include Rhett A Tet Tet, Fuzzys FBI and Flying Newport. For the second year in a row, Rooftop Moby will represent Derby Lane in Round 1 of the $75,000 Hollywood World Classic Wednesday.
ET CETERA
CYCLING: Floyd Landis passed teammate Lance Armstrong on the final day to win the Tour of the Algarve in Portugal. He finished more than a minute ahead of Armstrong, who fell to fifth overall.
TRACK: Russia's Svetlana Feofanova set the women's indoor pole vault record at 15 feet, 11 inches in the Athina 2004 meet in Athens. She broke the mark of 15-101/4 set Feb. 15 by Russia's Russian Yelena Isinbayeva.
DIVING: China's Liang Tian won the 10-meter platform and countrywomen Minxia Wu and Jingjing Guo dominated the 3-meter synchronized springboard at the World Cup in Athens. Liang beat compatriot Jia Hu by 30.18 points. Minxia and Jingjing beat Russia's Vera Ilyina and Julia Pakhalina by 29.01 points.
