In brief

French looking into Armstrong allegations

By FRANK PASTOR and GREG AUMAN, Times wires
Published January 21, 2005

French authorities have opened a preliminary inquiry into doping allegations made against six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong in a book published last summer.

Judicial officials confirmed the probe Thursday but declined to give details, describing the case as confidential.

Philippe Trouyet, commissioner of the judicial police in Annecy, said the investigation had been compromised by revelations in the media and might be dropped.

The investigation centers on a magistrate's interview with Armstrong's former British assistant, Emma O'Reilly.

Shortly before last year's Tour de France, O'Reilly made allegations in a book LA Confidential, The Secrets of Lance Armstrong. She claimed Armstrong sent her on long road trips to pick up pills and dispose of used syringes.

New York, London and Paris are in a strong financial position to host the 2012 Games, and Madrid and Moscow are more at risk, a leading credit ratings agency said.

Standard & Poor's, which considered the potential impact on the budget and debt profile of each of the five bid cities, said Paris and London are "unlikely to be affected" by spending on the games.

The agency said New York could also do well if it continues to develop a financing plan including private funding.

DISRUPTIVE PRIEST: The man who disrupted the men's marathon at the Athens Games was defrocked as a Roman Catholic priest. Neil Horan tackled Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima in the men's event.

SOFTBALL: South Florida was picked to finish tied for second with Houston in the coaches' preseason poll.

SWIMMING: Florida State swept a dual meet with crosstown rival Florida A&M.

ARENA FOOTBALL: Storm wide receiver/defensive back Omar Laurence, a former Largo High and Central Florida standout, will be out six to eight weeks with a broken leg. Receiver/linebacker David Saunders will miss Saturday's scrimmage against Orlando with a sprained ankle but is expected to return in time for the opener Jan. 30 against San Jose.

CURLING: Mitchell Marks was banned from competition for two years after refusing to take a random drug test in October, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said. Marks is the sport's first athlete to be penalized by USADA.

PARIMUTUELS: Greg Griffith was named Tampa's trainer of the month by Tampa Bay Downs.

SAILING: America's Cup syndicate BMW Oracle Racing will build the hulls of its two new racing sloops north of Seattle. ... Ellen MacArthur suffered a setback in her bid to break the solo around-the-world record when the mainsail of her yacht was damaged in the Atlantic Ocean. MacArthur must travel about 5,000 miles by Feb. 9 to set the mark.

SKIING: American Daron Rahlves made his first serious attempt at skiing since a dramatic crash nine days ago, completing a men's training session in Kitzbuehel, Austria. Rahlves was unsure whether he would be fit in time for Saturday's classic downhill.

SOCCER: Roma will play its Italian Cup quarterfinal at the Olympic stadium after the league overturned a judge's ruling that the game should be staged at a neutral venue following crowd trouble in the previous round.

[Last modified January 21, 2005, 00:30:24]