Global Sport

Italian Olympic official to reopen inquiry on drug useROME: The Italian Olympic Committee's anti-drug investigator has said he will reope...

Italian Olympic official to reopen inquiry on drug use

ROME: The Italian Olympic Committee8217;s anti-drug investigator has said he will reopen his inquiry into the use of performance-enhancing substances in the country8217;s top soccer league. The official, Ugo Longo, said he will look into reports that a positive doping test turned in by a player in a 1997 Serie A match was covered up.

Brazil to take on France in opener

MEXICO CITY: Brazil and France will square off in the opening match of the Mexico 1999 Confederations Cup, a highly anticipated sequel to the 1998 World Cup final in which the French hosts defeated the soccer-loving Brazilians.

The opening game is to be held in Guadalajara8217;s Jalisco Stadium, where the French beat Brazil in the 1986 World Cup. The draw was presided over by Fifa sports director Walter Gagg and Concacaf president Jack Warner.

Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Bolivia and Egypt are placed in the group A while group B will have Brazil, France, New Zealand and UnitedStates.

Death brings drugs back in spotlight

COLOGNE: The death in mid-September of sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner Flo-Jo has brought the issue of doping back into the spotlight. Although it has not been finally proven that the stroke which killed the 38-year-old champion athlete was the result of anabolic steroids, doctors do not rule out the possibility.

The suspicion that drugs assisted Griffith-Joyner to the world records she established over 100 and 200 metres in 1988 has never been completely allayed. What is certain is that anabolic steroids can trigger drastic changes in blood and organs.

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In an interview Professor Wilhelm Schaenzer, head of the anti-doping laboratory at the German Sports College Deutsche Sporthochschule in Cologne, explained that the drugs lead to a higher concentration of dangerous fats in the blood.

Matlala wins Portland Marathon

PORTLAND: Lucas Matlala of South Africa, making his first trip to the United States, won the 27th annual Portland Marathonin 2 hours, 26 minutes, 12 seconds. He failed, however, to break his personal best of 2:16:01.

He almost didn8217;t make it to the race. Matlala had signed up for the Portland marathon thinking it was in Maine. Only after arriving in New York, when he discovered his ticket price was more than double what he had expected, did he realize his mistake.

The 26.2-mile course was just a warm-up for Matlala, who lives in Johannesburg. The 30-year-old normally competes in 50-mile-plus 80-kilometer-plus ultramarathons, including the prestigious Comrades Marathon in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.