SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Friday, September 24, 1993
a
Sydney victorious in bid for Summer Games
Beijing edged out after close vote
The Associated Press
MONTE CARLO, Monaco — Sydney, Australia was selected yesterday to play host to the 2000 Olympics, beating out Beijing for the Summer Games in a choice of stability and modern athletic facilities over the political uncertainty of China.
After the announcement, fireworks exploded over Sydney Harbor, where an estimated 100,000 people had gathered just before dawn Friday local time to await the outcome. The white shells of the city's famous opera
house were illuminated with the five colors of the Olympic movement.
"The members preferred Sydney because it was a candidate which presented no problems," said International Olympic Committee member Primo Nebiolo of Italy. "It was easier for them to make this decision than to face the prospects of dealing with a big country like China, its population, its problems."
Australia for the first time since the 1956 Melbourne Olympics was announced live to a worldwide television audience by IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch after secret balloting by the committee's 89 voting members.
The decision to return the Games to
Beijing led during the first three rounds of voting, when other contenders Istanbul, Berlin and Manchester were eliminated, in that order. Manchester's voters then apparently swung to Sydnev in the fourth round.
In the first round. Beijing got 32 votes, Sydney 30, Manchester 11, Berlin 9, while Istanbul was eliminated with 7. In the second round, it was Beijing 37, Sydney 30, Manchester 13 and Berlin dropping out with 9. In the
One voter did not cast a ballot in the final two rounds.
third, it was Beijing 40, Sydney 37,
Manchester 11.
Bob Scott, head of the Manchester bid committee, said there was a definite "stop-Beijing" movement among committee members uncomfortable with what they perceived as heavy-handed support of China by some top IOC officials.
After Samaranch made the announcement in Monaco's soccer stadium, members of the Sydney delegation leaped into the air in jubilation.
Chinese officials in the audience appeared stunned, staying seated and offering only polite applause.
Sydney's victory, which followed unsuccessful Australian bids for the 1992 and 1996 Games, resulted from steady insistence that the harbor city could provide state-of-the-art infrastructure and cater best to the needs and wants of the athletes.
Despite its beauty and facilities, Sydney had been considered to be at slight disadvantage because of the 16-hour time difference with the eastern United States, which could affect TV rights fees.
The competition for the Games has been dominated by Beijing's candidacy — an ambitious, controversial attempt to bring the Olympics to the Communist nation despite skepticism about its record of suppressing
political dissent.
"The closed China of the past has now opened its doors," said the chairman of Beijing's bid committee, Chen Xitong. "We fervently want to know more about the world and to have more friends in the world know about us. Hosting the 2000 Games will open our door still wider."
Human rights officials immediately praised the decision to deny the Games to China.
"This decision puts the Chinese leadership on notice that they will pay a price for the continued abuse of their own citizens," said Richard Dicker, a lawyer for Human Rights Watch in New York.
Men's tennis looks to gain experience
Team to greet season in weekend tournament
By Anne Felstet
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas men's tennis team faces 22 teams in South Bend, Ind., this weekend for its fall season open.
The Tom Fallon Tournament, whose host team is Notre Dame, features teams from all collegiate divisions. The teams are Northwestern, Nebraska, Vanderbilt, Rice, Colorado, Kentucky, Furman, Clemson, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Miami of Ohio, Michigan State, University of Cincinnati, Illinois, Northern Illinois, Ball State and Purdue.
Kansas coach Michael Center said the Jayhawks would face fair competition this weekend.
"It's a great first tournament," he said. "It's a chance for all the players to get a lot of matches under their belts."
The tournament is flighted, which means players compete against players with the same rankings. The tournament will have four flights in singles play and two flights in doubles. Two teams will compete in each flight.
The team's top returning player, sophomore Reid Slattery, and transfer student Martin Eriksson will compete in the first singles flight. Eriksson is a two-time NAIA All-American from Belhaven College in Jackson, Miss.
Competing in the second singles flight are sophomores Michael Isroff and J.P. Visepso.
Freshmen Tim Radogna and Trent Tucker, in their first collegiate tournament, will compete in the third singles flight.
Rounding out the eight-man team in the fourth singles flight are sophomore transfer Victor Fimbres and junior Manny Ortiz. Fimbres attended Bethany College in Lindsborg. He played on the Mexican 1992 National Team.
Richard Devinki / KANSAN
The two groups of doubles partners in flight one are Slattery and Isroff and Fimbres and Ortiz. Radogna and Vissepo and Tucker and Eriksson are doubles partners in flight two.
Junior tennis player Martin Eriksson practices at the tennis courts behind Allen Field House. The team is traveling to South Bend, Ind., this weekend for the Tom Fallon Tournament.
Volleyball team makes difficult road trip
Bv Gerrv Fev
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas volleyball team will see more of the United States than it ever wanted to when it travels to play in the Pittsburgh Tournament this weekend.
It will be the team's worst road trip of the year, Kansas coach Frank Albizt said. Other teams participating are Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Svacuse.
"I told the team to try to get as much rest as we can," Albitz said. "I think all three teams are regionally ranked."
Kansas will play against 7-5 Virginia Tech today. They will play 6-3 Pittsburgh and 3-7 Syracuse tomorrow.
The tournament ends tomorrow, but the matches for Kansas do not. Kansas is scheduled to play Akron on Sunday in Akron, Ohio. That means the Jayhawks may not return to Lawrence until late Sunday or early Monday, Albiz said.
Senior Barb Bella said she was looking forward to the tournament but not the travel.
Bella said she had extra incentive because one of her former assistant coaches at Texas A&M will be there.
Bella transferred to Kansas from Texas A&M after her freshman year.
Redshirt freshman Lara Izokaitis also has a vested interest in this tournament. She chose to attend Kansas instead of Syracuse.
"It's more exciting for me," Izokaitis said. "I was recruited hard by Syracuse. A girl I played against in my high school conference will be playing, and my dad will be there too."
This tournament adds to the high level of play the Jayhawks already have experienced. In a tournament last weekend in Lincoln, Neb., Kansas played Georgia and Louisiana State, two nationally ranked teams.
"This will be good competition," Izokaitis said. "We had a good competitive spirit last weekend, and we've been playing together."
Georgia defeated Kansas on Saturday 15-7, 15-12, 15-13. Georgia used a type of defense called a rotation defense, which is different
Izokaitis said she felt good about facing this weekend's opponents.
"Rotation defense seems to be more prevalent with good teams like Georgia," Bella said. "There is a good chance that these teams do it also."
from what Kansas is used to. Izokaitis said the Jayhawks worked on playing against that kind of defense in practice this week.
The Jayhawk offense had to change its playing style, but Bella said this defense opened up more opportunities for Kansas.
Albitz said most teams use the defense, but Georgia might have been better at it than the teams the Jayhawks had played before.
"It is actually not as good a defense to use against one of our sets," Albitz said. "We use it too. There are weaknesses in it, which I don't like."
"We were hitting easy against Georgia," she said. "We started hitting in the middle of the court, which is where their defense was. We need to have confidence and hit hard in the future."
Albitz said the rotation defense was not good against one of the plays Kansas used.
Appier's scoreless streak snapped as A's sneak by struggling Royals
The Associated Press
The law of averages caught up with Kevin Appier.
After setting a club record by extending his scoreless streak to 33 innings, he gave up a couple of runs and lost his six-game winning streak as the Oakland Athletics beat the Kansas City Royals 2-1 yesterday.
Bobby Witt, 13-12, outdued Appier, allowing one run and five hits in eight-plus innings, striking out a season-high 11 and walking two. Dennis Eckersley, the A's third pitcher, got the final two outs for his 34th save in 44 chances.
"Setting the record is very pleasing. Sabe's been a pretty good pitcher in the past. He's had some incredible years." Appier said.
Appier, 17-7, pitched five scoreless innings before an RBI single by Brent Gates in the sixth broke his streak. Appier gave up two runs in seven innings, struck out five and walked four. The previous club record was a 31-inning streak by Bret Saberhagen in 1989.
George Brett's 17th home run gave Kansas City the lead in the sixth, but Oakland tied the score in the bottom half after Jerry Browne's leadoff double. Mike Aldrete walked with one out in the inning and Gates singled.
Oakland went ahead in the seventh when Scott Hemond walked with one out, and Kurt Abbott and Jerry Browne followed with singles.
Witt, who is 4-0 with a 1.12 ERA in his last five starts, said he was worried Appier would make Brett's homer stand up.
"The pitch to Brett was a slider down and in, and he really tattooed it," Witt said. "The way Appier's been pitching, I thought we might lose the game."
After Brian McRae's leadoff double in the ninth, Witt was replaced by Rick Honeycutt. Eckersley, who had a blown save in Wednesday night's 3-2, 10-inning loss' to Kansas City, then struck out pinch-hitter Mike Macfarlane. Gary Gaetti filed to left as the Royals lost for the seventh time in 10 games.
Former Jayhawk safety succeeds in arena football
By Mark Button
Kansan sportswriter
Bowen, however, did spend the summer playing arena football for the Cincinnati Rockers.
"You never know who's watching," Bowen said of his chances of playing in the NFL. "At least this way, I'm keeping in shape, and I'm playing. If something like that comes up, fine. But if not, it's nothing to get upset about."
Former Kansas safety Charley Bowen's four years of hard-nosed football with the Jayhawks did not earn him a ticket to the NFL Yet.
Although Bowen has played football since he could walk, arena football, which is different than conventional football, brought new challenges to the Lawrence native.
Differences in arena football include the size of the field, which is 50 yards long plus eight-yard end zones, and the number of players, eight on each team. Sidelines are marked by four-foot padded walls that allow for hockey-like cross check tackles a big part of the game.
"Things happen much faster," he said.
"Running backs get to the corners faster, and receivers run their routes quicker because everything is cut down."
Although the speed of the game and size of the field made Bowen adjust, the biggest challenge was relearning how to play offense, he said. In arena football, everyone except kickers and quarterbacks plays both offense and defense.
Bowen, who returned punts for Kansas, had not played a down on offense since high school. Bowen said that he had fun playing offense but that he had difficulties learning pass routes and formations.
Bowen said sideline walls had been difficult to adjust to, as well.
"I saw guys knocked through walls and over the walls all the time," he said. "The first time it happened to me was when we
were down in Dallas,
and, well, the wall
doesn't give very
much."
Joe Haaring, coach of the 2-10 Rockers, said, "There were some veterans ahead of him. It took him some time to learn everything, but toward the end of the season he was one of
Charley Bowen
our best players. I started him for the last game of the season, and he was the player of the game."
Bowen got used to the walls, to the speed of the game and to playing on both sides of the ball. He also got used to the paychecks.
In addition to a fully furnished apartment and a food allowance, the Rockers' base salary was $500 for each game, plus bonuses. Bonuses depended upon a player's action on the field. For instance, $200 was given to players who scored a touchdown or made a big hit in the game.
Bowen said that on more than one occasion he had earned $1000 in one game.
Although his team had a rough year, Bowen said, he probably will return to Cincinnati next summer. And because the NFL may not knock on his door, Bowen is making preparations for life after arena football.
With little more than a semester of school standing between him and his degree, Bowen said he planned to return soon. Upon graduation, he said, he would apply to the Highway Patrol.
Haering said, though, that Bowen had what it took to play arena football field for sometime.
Freshmen runners to take lead in Boston meet
"He is an overachiever," Haering said.
"What he lacks in skills, he makes up for with instinct. He definitely has the skills for a career in the sport."
Cross-country teams face challenge of top programs
After a weeklong break from competition, the Kansas cross country teams will return to action this weekend in Boston.
By Kent Hohlfeld
Kansan sportswriter
Both the men's and women's teams will compete in the Boston College Cross Country Invitational Saturday at Boston's Franklin Park. The women will compete in a five-kilometer race while the men will run a five-mile race.
The 11-team meet will include Rhode Island's Providence College, the second ranked women's team. South Florida, ranked 18th, might be the strongest men's team in the tournament.
Kansas assistant coach Steve Guymon said the trip would give the runners a good look at the level of competition they will face later in the year. He said the experience of competing against high-caliber teams as the runners prepare for the Big Eight tournament Oct. 30 and the NCAA district meet Nov. 13 was as important as the meet's results.
The women will face second-ranked Providence just two weeks after they were defeated by the topranked Arkansas Razorbacks in Lawrence.
Senior runner Julia Saul said the team looked forward to seeing the quality of competition among teams in the Northeast.
"It gains us some recognition," Saul said. "Traveling also helps in recruiting."
She said she thought the caller of competition the team would face would help the younger runners improve. Four of the nine women competing this weekend are freshmen.
Many of those competing for the men's team also
are underclassmen.
Guymon said that he thought Franklin Park would be a faster course than the Jayhawks home course at Rim Rock Farm, northwest of Lawrence.
Senior runner Bobby Palmer said the team had changed its practice routine since the previous meet. "We met together this week to devise some sort of game plan." Palmer said.
The men's team is coming off a home meet in which it finished third behind the Air Force Academy and Big Eight Conference rival Missouri.
Palmer said the team would benefit later in the season from facing tough competition this early.
Guymon said sophomores Chris Ronan and Jeff Peterson would miss the Boston meet because of injuries.
He said Ronan and Peterson's absences, combined with the absence of redshirt seniors Michael Cox and David Johnson, would give the younger runners a chance to compete.
William Alix / KANSAN
Members of the men's cross country team run along Massachusetts Street during an eight-mile practice.