ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607300054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: NOTES
DATELINE: ATLANTA
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
The blast that rocked the Olympics didn't postpone the Atlanta Games. Nor, apparently, has it dissuaded any prospective host of the 2004 Summer Games.
Asked during a news conference if the bombing in Centennial Olympic Park will discourage cities from applying to play host to the Olympics, IOC director Francois Carrard said, "I don't think so.
"We live in a society where violence occurs,'' Carrard said. "I met this morning with representatives of some of the [2004] candidate cities, and they expressed no indication of lack of interest.''
Eleven cities, none from the U.S., have applied for consideration to host the 2004 Games. Stockholm, Sweden, and Cape Town, South Africa, are considered the front-runners.
BIG GAME: With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, the political passion of the U.S. doesn't burn quite as bright as the Olympic flame these days. However, there's an event today that should arouse some.
The U.S. and Cuba meet in a battle of Olympic unbeatens in baseball at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium today at 3. Clemson's Billy Koch, the No. 4 pick in the major-league draft by Toronto, will pitch for the U.S.
Not only is there intrigue because these are considered the two best teams in amateur baseball, the increasing number of defections of Cuban stars for big money in the major leagues brings an edge to the date, too.
TIGHT: The inspired play by the U.S. isn't the only subject of discussion in the women's basketball competition. There also is the Australian team's uniforms.
The Aussies wear bright black, yellow and green Lycra spandex uniforms. They're sleeveless and body-hugging. The players say they like the bodysuits that have drawn attention, sponsors and dollars to their pro league.
Lisa Leslie, the 6-foot-5 U.S. center and professional model, said of the Australian uniforms: "We all have the same bodies. I wouldn't want to wear it, because I think it's degrading. If they want to wear it, that's fine.''
TIME FOR FUN: For three games, all they heard about was unfulfilled expectations. Since the opening of the Games, it was difficult to tell who was more bored, the U.S. men's basketball team or the people watching them. But Friday night, at last, the group burdened with the Dream Team legacy began to have a little fun.
Their smiles were inspired by their first consistently convincing effort of the tournament, a 133-70 victory over China at the Georgia Dome that set a record for points by a U.S. Olympic team. Scottie Pippen scored 15 of his 24 points during an overwhelming first-half effort as the undefeated Americans outscored China, 23-2, over the last six minutes of the half.
China (2-2) can still win a spot in the quarterfinals, and that reality made the U.S. performance that much more meaningful. After leading Argentina by two points at halftime and being tied with an undermanned Lithuania team late in the first half, the Americans exceeded their previous high margin of victory with a 65-28 halftime lead.
Reggie Miller set a U.S. Olympic record with five 3-pointers and scored 17 points.
DINING: Hours before the bombing, ACOG officials had another investigation on their hands. It seems that someone had "tampered'' with volunteers' lunches at the tennis competition at Stone Mountain Park on Friday.
"It was found that three lunches were tampered with and as a precaution, all of the lunches prepared that day were sent out,'' said an ACOG spokesman. "The three lunches are being held during the investigation.''
It was reported some of the lunches were put together and boxed at the DeKalb County Jail.
POOL RUEHL: Entering Saturday night's platform diving finals in third place, Becky Ruehl of the U.S. was a first-time Olympian with a surprising performance and a tradition to uphold.
The U.S. had won eight of the 18 gold medals in the event and 26 of 54 medals given since women began diving in the 1912 Stockholm Games. The last time the U.S. competed in a Games and didn't medal in women's platform diving was the Munich Games in 1972.
JUST THINKING: The Olympics at one time had demonstration sports, and each host was allowed to choose one sport to add to the Games.
The demonstration plan was dropped after the 1988 Seoul Games. If the Atlanta Games still had that option, would Atlanta Motor Speedway have been the stock-car racing venue?
SUPER GLUE: The reason Tunisia's Sonia Touati defaulted in table tennis on Friday?
It was trichloroethylene. That's the glue allowed between the rubber and wood surface on a paddle. However, Touati had 17 times the allowable amount on the paddle - and the stuff gives the ball more kick as it is.
The paddle was confiscated. Touati said she didn't have another one, so her Olympic bid was history.
LENGTH: Medium: 92 linesby CNB