SEOUL: Amateur Boxing Chiefs, embarrassed by a ring riot at the Olympics, plan to introduce computerized judging next year to give spectators a blow by blow account of who is winning.
Anwar Chowdhry, President of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA), said on Thursday that under the new system the five judges would press buttons to signal a punch had been landed.
“The judges will have red and blue switches in front of them attached 10 a computer. If a blow is struck by the blue fighter and a majority of the judges hit the blue button then the blow will be displayed on a screen.
“By this method the spectators will know which way the bout is going. There will not be a last moment announcement after three rounds which might come as a surprise to others,” he said.
SEOUL: Chinese shot putter LI Meisu captured third place in the shot at the Olympics on Saturday to give Asia their first medal in track and field on the ‘penultimate day of the games.
The 29 year old University teacher heaved the shot 21.06 meters, missing silver by just one centimeter, to finish third behind ‘Natalya Lisovskaya of the Soviet Union (22.24) and Kathrin Neimke of East Germany (21.07).
Li, fifth at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and seventh at Last Year’s World Championships, redeemed some prestige ‘for China in track and field after the failure of her teammates 1o perform up to expectations.
SEOUL: Heavyweight (91kg) Ray Mercer threw the lect of a lifetime on Saturday 10 shatter local hopes and win a second ‘Olympic Boxing Gold for the United States.
South Korea’s Baik HyunMan, dubbed, “The Hulk”, by the home fans, toppled to the canvas and the battle of the giants was over in the first round.
SEOUL: The South Korean Women’s Handball Team won the host country’s ‘fourth Gold Medal on Thursday by beating the Soviet Union 2119,
Norway took the silver medal and the Russians, champions at the inaugural 1976 Tournament and again in 1980, were relegated 10 the Bronze.
It was South Korea’s First Olympic Handball victory.
SEOUL: Alexander Kurlovich of the Soviet Union lifted nearly half a ton to win a Gold Medal and claim the title of strongest ‘man at the Olympics on Thursday.
The 132 kg weightlifter hoisted an Olympic record snatch of 212.5 kg and a jerk of 250kg for a total of 462.5 kg, which beat the Olympic record total that Vassily Alexeev lifted in the 1976 Montreal games.
SEOUL: “Flojo” flew to a world record and sister in law Jackie Joyner Kersee soared to the long jump crown in a golden family double that brought a shine back 10 the Seoul games on Thursday.
Florence Griffith Joyner, glamour queen of the track, pulverized the world 200 meters record twice on her way to an Olympic Women’s sprint double and burst into a glorious smile as she crossed the line ‘four meters ahead of the rest.
JoynerKersee leapt an Olympic record 7, 40 meters to add the long jump title to her world record heptathlon gold performance ‘and make the family’s day perfect.
“It’s almost like it’s a family affair for me and for Florence o perform so well,” said Joyner Kersee.
SEOUL: The Soviet Union broke the Women’s 4X400 meters relay world record when they clocked three minus 15.18 seconds at the Olympics on Saturday,
The old record of 3:15.92 was set by East Germany in Erfurt, East Germany, on June 3, 1984.
SEOUL: Two U.S, Olympic swimmers who stole a stone lion’s head from a Seoul nightclub will not be charged, South Korean prosecutors said on Friday.
Senior Prosecutor Yoo SungSu told reporters Doug Gjertsen and Troy Dalbey, members of the team that set a world record in the 4X200 meters freestyle relay, were free to leave the country.
SEOUL: The Soviet Union, led by Huge Centre Arvidas Sabonis, defeated Yugoslavia 7663 on Friday 10 win the gold in Olympic Men’s basketball.
The victory gave the Russians a second Olympic gold to add to their 1972 title and avenged the only blemish on their Seoul record.
SEOUL: Australia collects their first Olympic Hockey Gold Medal by beating South Korea 20 in the Women’s final
SEOUL: The Maidens with the waterproof ‘smiles have hair that would look good on a Hollywood film star, limbs like dancers ~ and lungs like pearl divers.
Synchronized swimming is about as likely an Olympic sport as team tango.
SEOUL: The U.S. Women’s Team salvaged some American Basketball pride by beating Yugoslavia 7770 10 win the Olympics Gold Medal on Thursday.
While their male counterparts fell short of retaining their Olympic title, the women sailed through to register their fifth win without defeat here and repeat their success at the 1984 games.
SEOUL: Talll Texan Louise Ritter gunned down her rival in a shootout and rode away into the sunset with the booty she had come for.
The 30 year old from Dallas found herself almost in the role of the Lone Ranger as she tackled the might of East Europe in the Olympic Women’s high jump final.
SEOUL: Briton Kerrith Brown was stripped of his Judo Bronze Medal on Saturday, becoming the fifth Medalist at the Seoul Olympics to be disqualified after failing a dope test.
The International Olympic Committee’s executive board also banned Afghan Freestyle Wrestler Alidad, bringing to 10 the number of athletes thrown out of the games for drug offences.
SEOUL: British Sprinter Linford Christie, awarded the Olympic 100 meters Silver ‘Medal when Ben Johnson was disqualified, has been initially tested positive for a banned stimulant, his team said on Friday.
Christie, who tested positive for pseudoephedrine, was one of two British athletics t0 fail a preliminary test at the Seoul Olympics, which have been marred by a string of drug scandals.
SEOUL: Oh, the agony of it all. To train ‘for years and see those visions of Olympic glory vanish in seconds. There have been string heroic flops at the Seoul games.
World Canoeing Champions Philippe Boccara and Pascal Boucherit of France worked so hard on mentally preparing themselves for Thursday’s race that they daydreamed, missed the start and were disqualified
“This is 12 years of my life wasted,” said Boccara. “Time caught up with us.”
SEOUL: Czechoslovak Miloslay Mecir overcame a hesitant start on Friday and calmly beat American Tim Mayotte 10 win the first Olympic Tennis Gold Medal in 64 ‘years,
Mecir, giving Czechoslovakia their third gold of the Seoul games, beat second seed Mayotte 36 62 64 62 in two hours 39 minutes on the Olympic park Centre court. Mecir, who knocked out top seed Stefam Bdberg of Sweden in the semifinals, at first had problems with his serve.
SEOUL: The Soviet Union came back from two sets down to beat Peru32and win the Women’s Volleyball Gold Medal in a cliffhanger final at the Olympic Games on Thursday.
They took the match 15-10, 15-12, 13-15, 7-15, 17-15 in two hours and 10 minutes.
SEOUL: Carl Lewis, who buried the 100 ‘meters Gold Medal he won at the 1984 Olympics in his father’s coffin, was presented with the Gold Medal taken from Ben Johnson in an emotional ceremony on Saturday,
(Clutching the Gold which meant so much 10 him, Lewis said after a simple ceremony in an office under the stadium stands: “I don’t believe it is tainted.”
Johnson won the 100 final in a world record time of 9.79 seconds but was disqualified for taking muscle building steroids.
Lewis’s father died last year after a long battle against cancer and Lewis, clearly moved, said “This is without question dedicated 10 him. The one thing I wanted more than anything is in my hand. This one is for me.”
“When the medal was there, it was an emotional moment for me.”
Lewis, who captured two Gold’s and a silver in Seoul, said the Johnson doping case could prove a running point in the fight against drugs in athletics.
“If sport is going 10 be better because of that, then it’s worth it,” he said.
SEOUL: Greg Luganis, the World’s Greatest Diver, announced his retirement on Sunday from the sport he transformed into an art.
Louganis, who is to become an actor and play his first post-Olympic film role in as any comedy called “stiff,” made the announcement when given the U.S. Olympic spirit award for his courage and iron will in Seoul.
The shy and unassuming 28 year old who soared like an eagle and dived like a swallow, said that winning in Seoul was all about handling pressure.
“Many times I felt like quitting. It did cross my mind when I hit the board, But 1 ‘felt it was worth hanging in there,” ‘he said after flying back from Los Angeles to receive his award.
OTTAWA: Canadian Minister of Amateur Sport Jean Charest said on Thursday sprinter Ben Johnson might have been an unfortunate victim in the Olympic Drug Scandal and now hopes one day he will get his medal back.
“As all Canadians (do), I think we’d be very happy one day if we could give his ‘medal back,” Charest told reporters in an apparent about-face of his earlier tough stand.
“Maybe its wishful thinking,” he added. SEOUL: Italian Gelindo Bordin surged to the Olympic Men’s Marathon title on Sunday when he took the lead with just under three km left and pulled away to win in two hours 10 minutes 32 seconds,
The European Champion was one of a bunch of six who broke from the remainder of the 124strong field at the 32 km mark of the 42,195 km race
With four km to run, Bordin was third behind Djibouti’s Ahmed Salah and Ken‘ya’s World Champion Douglas Wakihurt.
But just as he did in the 1986 European Championships, the powerful Italian picked up the pace to overhaul first Wakithurt and then the fading Salah
Wakithuri recovered to take second place in 2:10:47 with Salah third in 2:10:59.
Bordin kissed the track afire finishing and was then hugged by International ‘Amateur Athletic Federation President and compatriot Primo Nebiolo.
“It was like a war out there,” Bordin told a television interviewer.
SEOUL: The biggest Olympics in history ended in an explosion of exuberance on Sunday as thousands of athletes turned the closing ceremony of the Seoul games into a giant party.
‘Some wore monster masks. One even dressed as Father Christmas.
‘Athletes hitched rides on each other’s shoulders, danced in joy and raced around the track in a living kaleidoscope of colour.
They waved and whooped at the 70,000 spectators packed into Seoul’s Olympic stadium.
The Canadian’s, whose Champion sprinter Ben Johnson was thrown out of the games for taking drugs, were first into the arena and bounced athletes in a giant Canadian flag stretched across the track.
International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch officially closed the games which attracted a record 160 nations.
“Z call upon the youth of the world to assemble four years from now in Barcelona, Espana, to celebrate with us in 1992 the games of the 25th Olympiad,” he said.
Searchlights cut through the night, fireworks exploded around the roof of the switch back stadium and athletes stood in awe when hundreds of Korean fan dancers whirled around them to the clash of 1,000 cymbals.
TORONTO: Ontario’s medical regulators said on Friday they were investigating a Toronto Doctor who has denied giving sprinter Ben Johnson the steroids that cost him Olympic Gold and millions of dollars in endorsements,
The college of physicians and surgeons of Ontario said Dr. Jaime Astaphan agreed to deliver his medical reports pertaining to Johnson and any other athletes under his care.
“We want to know whether he prescribed anabolic steroids to Ben Johnson or other athletes,” college registrar Dr, Michael Dixon told reporters.
ISTANBUL: Turkish sports hero Naim Suleymanoglu said on Saturday he was quitting weightlifting after winning the country’s only gold medal at the Seoul Olympic Games.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 7, 1988
