SEOUL: There will be no Soccer Tournament at future Olympics unless the International Olympic Committee (IOC) drop demands that all professionals be allowed to play  ‘emergency meeting of Vice Presidents of the International Football Federation (FIFA)here on Friday confirmed their decision to restrict the 1992 Barcelona event to players aged under 23,

We will not change our position,” said Fifa General Secretary Joseph Blatter. “We do not want to repeat the World Cup in the Olympics.”

“If the IOC does not alter its stance this (Seoul) will be the last Olympic Football Tournament.

Soccer was the most popular sport at the 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, drawing 3.2 million spectators.

Only European and South American Professionals who have not played in the World Cup may take part in the Seoul games.

‘Samaranch told a news conference earlier that he expected a comprise to be reached for the 1992 Olympic Tournament.

SEOUL, Reuter: The International Amateur Swimming Federation (FINA) decided to allow swimmers to earn money from endorsements and sponsorship, outgoing President Robert Helmick said.

The money must be kept in a trust fund while they are still competing.

Fina’s General Congress changed its rules to drop the use of the word “Amateur,” apart from in its official name, newly elected Secretary General Ross Wales said.

“There were one and a half pages on what was amateur. All that has been jettisoned,” he said.

SEOUL: The Seoul Olympics will be contested by a record 9,627 athletes from 15¢ ‘countries, the Organisers said on Friday.

In a final tally less than 24 hours before the opening ceremony, the Seoul Olympics Organising Committee (SLOOC) said 7,150 male and 2,477 female competitors would take part in the games and 3,999 officials would also be present.

The previous record for athletes and officials in Seoul comes from the United States The Soviet Union is second with 655. Brunei, with one official, brings the number 0 countries represented at the games to 160, the SLOOC said.

Burma also has one official already in Seoul but he is still awaiting the arrival of the ‘country’s two athletes, both lng distance runners. They are stranded in Rangoor because all lights out of the country have been halted by a popular uprising.

Madagascar’s ate withdrawal from the games brings to seven the number “of countries who will not take part. The others are North Korea, Albania, Cuba, Ethiopia Nicaragua and the Seychelles.

SEOUL: The Olympic movement picked the tiny Norwegian Resort of Lillehammer to stage the 1994 Winter Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) caused a major surprise by picking Lillehammer, the outsider in a field of four. “It’s brilliant,” was the ecstatic reaction of Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland.

Lillehammer, which defeated the Bulgarian Capital of Sofia, Ostersund in ‘Sweden and the Alaskan City of Anchorage, promised to stage a cozy, compact games in a sports mad country famed for its Winter Olympic Champions.

SEOUL: A wealth of raw, natural talent helped by high altitude training and honed by competition on American and European tracks make the Kenyan Men’s Athletic Team a formidable proposition at the Seoul Olympics.

‘They run from the day they are born. They run everywhere; they even run to the shops.

Kenya won their first Olympic Athletics Medal in 1964 when Wilson Kiprugu captured the 800 metres bronze at the Tokyo Games.

He went one better by winning the silver four years later at the Mexico Games. Bu his performance was overshadowed by the feats of the extraordinary Kip Keino.

Keino, who entranced spectators throughout the world with a string of outstanding performances in the mid 1960, beat American Jim Ryun in the 1,500 metres and tool silver in the 5,000. Kenyans won three track gold’s, four silvers and two bronzes at the 1968 games.

In the 1972 Munich games, Keino, now aged 32, finished second in the 1,500 bu ‘went on fo upset teammate Ben Jipcho to win the 3,000 metres steeplechase.

Kenya went home happily from Munich with two gold’s, two silver sand a bronze bu it was to be 12 years before they made another appearance on the Olympic stage.

SEOUL, Reuter: American domination of Olympic Basketball will be put to its sternest test in 16 years as the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia take aim at the defending champions in the Men’s Tournament.

The US. Team overwhelmed the field at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, flattening opponents by an average of 32 points in each of their eight games.

This tournament, however, should be much more competitive and offers the added attraction of a possible U.S, Soviet grudge match to further spice things up,

Sixteen years ago in Munich, the Russians rocked the basketball world by beating the Americans 5150 in the Championship game, scoring the winning basket after a controversial decision to replay the final three seconds,

SEOUL: Reuter: Olympic Boxing at the Seoul Games will be staged simultaneously in two rings despite complaints from television and problems for competitors, a Senior Boxing official said on Thursday. Paul Konnor of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) said it would be impossible to stage the competition in a single ring because up to 450 Boxers would be fighting, 100 more than at the Los Angeles Games. Two rings will being almost constant use in Seoul for up to 10 hours a day for 10 days, A single ring will be used for the last five days, from the quarterfinals onwards, SEOUL, Reuter: The Seoul Olympics opened with an oriental flourish on Saturday, but the fun and spectacle of a flawless opening ceremony fast gave way to fierce ‘competition in the biggest games of all time.

The unlikely first star of the track was 76 year old Korean grandfather, He provided an emotional highlight of the opening that will be recalled long after memories of the swirling colors and throbbing drums have faded.

Skipping like a teenager and beaming with delight, Sohn Kee Chung, a former marathon gold medalist, reveled in the honour of carrying the Olympic flame into the stadium,

“It was the most glorious moment of my life,” said Sohn, a national hero for his defiant stance against the Japanese colonial rulers after his 1936 Olympics win,

SEOUL: A 17 year old Chinese diving sensation won Asia’s first Gold Medal of the Seoul Olympics on Sunday.

Xu Yanmei, 1987 World Cup Champion, scored 445.20 points to beat American Divers, Michele Mitchell and Wendy Williams in the Women’s 10metre high board.

“I did not do well in one or two dives during the preliminaries yesterday, but today, 1 composed myself. Tam very happy and excited,” she said.

“Lam homesick and miss my father very much, | want to go home as soon as possible,” said the High School Student from the southern Chinese province of Jiangxi.

SEOUL: Reuter: East Bloc Athletes, back in force at the Olympics after a night year absence, are expected to make an immediate impact, by grabbing four of the first five gold medals awarded in Seoul.

SEOUL: Romania’s Daniela Silvia’s stole the show with two perfect marks ,but Yelena Shush nova ensured the Soviet Union were well in control of the Women’s Olympic Team Gymnastics event after Monday’s compulsory exercises.

Shushunova had one maximum mark of 10, as did East Germany’s Dagmar Kersten, while much healed favourite Aurelia Dobre of Romania was left in the shadows.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 23, 1988