ATHENS, Greece - Iraqi athletes will march under their national flag at the Athens Olympics.
After being suspended 10 months ago, Iraq's national Olympic committee was reinstated Friday by the International Olympic Committee. Iraq's national Olympic committee was dismantled after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.
As many as two dozen Iraqi athletes are expected to compete. The reinstatement of Iraq brings the number of national Olympic committees recognized by the IOC to a record 202.
BOXOFFS: Roberto Benitez (bantamweight) and Rock Allen (light welterweight) won contentious decisions on points in Cleveland, earning provisional spots on the U.S. team. Mickey Bey Jr., Rau'shee Warren, Ron Siler, Vicente Escobedo, Andre Dirrell, Andre Ward and Devin Vargas also won their weight classes, earning a trip to Tijuana, Mexico, for the Tournament of the Americas in March, which decides the final Olympic team.
The head of an NCAA panel on athletic recruiting said steps may be taken to standardize on-campus visits. David Berst said the goal will be to give recruits at each campus common experiences by which to judge each school. The task force was formed in the wake of the scandal involving allegations by three women who say they were sexually assaulted by Colorado football players or recruits at or just after a 2001 off-campus party.
Meanwhile, Gov. Bill Owens appointed Colorado's attorney general, Ken Salazar, as a special prosecutor who will investigate the recruiting scandal at Colorado, saying he wanted "no whitewash and no excuses." Also, a Denver TV station released video made by a student in 2001 in which CU players say coaches encouraged them to cultivate relationships with police for special treatment.
BASEBALL: South Florida blew a 4-0 lead and lost 8-4 to Oklahoma State in Game 1 of the News-Journal Classic in DeLand. The Bulls face Virginia Tech at 2 p.m. today. ... Steven Cook pitched a four-hitter, lifting North Carolina-Asheville 2-1 over host Florida State. ... Host Tampa defeated Florida Tech 4-2 in the Spartans' SSC opener.
SOFTBALL: South Florida committed five errors in its first two games of the Wildcat Invitational, falling 3-2 to Oklahoma State and 4-3 to Boston University. USF faces Stanford and host Arizona today.
SWIMMING AND DIVING: The Florida men remained second at the SEC Championships in Athens, Ga., with 559 points. The UF women were third with 530. Auburn held the top spots for the men (790 points) and women (634). ... Wickus Nienaber (100 breaststroke) and Chris Vythoulkas (100 butterfly) won gold at the ACC Championships for FSU, which was second with 361 points, 197.5 behind host Virginia.
TENNIS: The Florida women swept visiting LSU 7-0 in the SEC opener for both. ... The FSU men won 4-3 against visiting Michigan.
BOXING: Ali slighted in tribute
A Virginia legislator's Black History Month tribute to Muhammad Ali turned contentious when another lawmaker called Ali a "draft dodger." Del. Onzlee Ware, D-Roanoke, asked that the House adjourn for the day in honor of Ali, praising his courage for refusing induction into the Army at the height of the Vietnam War. Del. Mark L. Cole, R-Spotsylvania, immediately objected.
The unrecorded voice vote passed despite a handful of "no" votes. Ali refused induction in 1967, citing his Muslim beliefs and was stripped of his heavyweight title and barred from boxing 31/2 years.
TENNIS: Belgian rolls to 13-0
Defending champion Justin Henin-Hardenne beat Meghann Shaughnessy 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals of the Dubai Open in the United Arab Emirates, extending her record to 13-0 this year. The top-ranked Belgian faces teenager Svetlana Kuznetsova, who upset fifth-seeded Ai Sugiyama 6-0, 7-5.
ET CETERA
CYCLING: American Tyler Hamilton will compete in the Tour de France (July3-25) with his new team, Phonak of Switzerland, one of seven teams given wild-card invitations. Hamilton, riding for Team CSC, finished fourth in last year's Tour despite a broken collarbone. Former world champion Mario Cipollini's Domina Vacanze team also was invited.
WINTER SPORTS: American Lindsey Jacobellis won her second World Cup title in two days, taking another snowboardcross event in Shiozawa, Japan. ... Germany's Anni Friesinger (1:57.15) edged speed skater Jennifer Rodriguez of Miami by .04 to win the women's 1,500 meters and the World Cup season title in Heerenveen, Netherlands.
OBITUARY: John Russell, a thoroughbred trainer who won national championships with Susan's Girl in 1972 and '73, died at home in Del Mar, Calif. Russell, 67, had been battling cancer. He trained 55 stakes winners.
