
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, February 1, 1994                   TAG: 9402010141
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Short

POLL SAYS HARDING SHOULD STEP ASIDE

More than four in 10 Americans say figure skating champion Tonya Harding should withdraw from the U.S. Olympic team, even if she is innocent in the attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan, an Associated Press poll found.

In the poll, taken Wednesday through Sunday, 58 percent said Harding should stay home, if she is charged, but not convicted; 43 percent said she should not be on the team, even if she isn't charged.

If Harding is innocent, as she maintains, 42 percent think she should step aside anyway to avoid being a distraction for other U.S. Olympians, but 55 percent disagree.

The more people knew of the story, the less supportive they were of Harding.

Sixty-four percent of those who said they followed the case at least fairly closely said she should not go the the Olympics if charged.

The poll of a cross-section of 1,007 U.S. adults was taken by ICR Survey Research Group of Media, Pa., part of AUS Consultants.

by CNB