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Olympics briefs

By Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 1, 2000

Wrestling saga takes a biting turn

DENVER -- Matt Lindland was placed on the U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling team for Sydney on Thursday after the International Olympic Committee said he could be substituted for rival Keith Sieracki, as ordered by a federal judge.

While awaiting an appeals court ruling to get him put on the team, Sieracki drove from Colorado Springs with a videotape that appeared to show Lindland biting Sieracki's ear during their 1671/2-pound qualifying match at the June Olympic trials. Sieracki won 2-1 on a referee's decision.

Though not conclusive, the tape, viewed by the Associated Press, showed Lindland moving deliberately toward Sieracki's right ear as the two jostled for leverage. Sieracki immediately jumped back in protest, and close-up footage showed a small amount of blood coming from the ear.

Lindland did not deny biting the ear and said he wanted the videotape to be presented during arbitration but USA Wrestling "didn't want to look at it."

USA Wrestling spokesman Gary Abbott said videotape is used by mat-side officials to make and review calls. The governing body's rules do not allow video to be used in protests or appeals to the Greco-Roman Sports Committee, he said.

Long jumper apologizes

BRISBANE, Australia -- Australian long jumper Jai Taurima said he was "quite sorry" for saying "you can pretty much knock out all the dark athletes" from the event at Sydney next month because of expected cool weather.

"I didn't mean to attack them personally," said Taurima, whose father is Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. "It was not intended as a racial slur. I didn't mean to upset them at all."

Taurima said he was just trying to create attention for the event.

American long jumpers Savante Stringfellow and Melvin Lister, who are black, remained angry about the remark.

"I don't accept his apology," Stringfellow said. "I can't accept what he said. If he didn't mean it, why did he say it?"

At first, Lister said he would accept Taurima's apology. But later he said, "When a guy says something like that, 95 percent of the time he means it."

CYCLING: Lance Armstrong expects to be riding again in the next few days after being hit by a car Tuesday during training in southern France. "Nothing broken or serious but very "banged up,' " Armstrong wrote on his Web site, www.lancearmstrong.com. Armstrong's bicycle was destroyed and his helmet smashed into pieces after he and U.S. Postal Service teammate Tyler Hamilton were hit on what Hamilton described as a "desolate mountain road." X-rays on Armstrong were negative, U.S. Postal Service team official Johan Bruyneel said. Hamilton said he was "relatively unscathed" apart from having old wounds reopened. Armstrong and Hamilton will compete for the United States in the road race and the time trial at Sydney. ... Neil Campbell was taken off the British team and will not be replaced. The British Cycling Federation said Campbell was removed two weeks ago for "urgent" medical tests and was suspended pending an inquiry. It gave no details about the test results.

DRUGS: The World Anti-Doping Agency said that all 28 sports in the Sydney Olympics have agreed to its random drug-testing program with the signing of gymnastics and volleyball this week. ... Stung by revelations that athletes were avoiding doping tests, the Australian Sports Drug Agency plans to increase its no-notice tests leading up to the Games' start.

SOCCER: Nigeria, which won the 1996 Olympic gold medal, has asked FIFA, the sport's governing body, to intervene in a growing conflict with foreign teams over the release of players for the Games. Nigeria is particularly interested in getting Arsenal striker Nwankwo Kanu and Chelsea defender Celestine Babayaro from their British Premier League teams. "We've asked FIFA to make sure that Kanu and Babayaro are released to us six days before the Olympics," Nigerian spokesman Austin Mgbolu said. "If (the teams) still fail to comply, it will be up to FIFA to act."

SWIMMING: Olympic gold medalist Amy Van Dyken said she plans to retire after the Sydney Games. Van Dyken won four golds at the 1996 Games and came back from two shoulder operations to make this year's U.S. team.

MISC.: Former U.S. senator and NBA great Bill Bradley rejected an invitation to become U.S. Olympic Committee chairman but likely will join the board of directors this year. ... Australian Ron Clarke, one of the greatest distance runners in history and a two-time Olympian, criticized the IOC for "extravagant waste of money" on all Opening Ceremonies, for tickets being grossly overpriced and for cramming several "meaningless" sports into the Games.

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