Global Sport — Steve Waugh looks forward to 2001 Ashes tour

Referees to blow the same whistle

ZURICH: World soccer’s governing body is increasing the number of referees and equipping them with new uniforms and electronic aids for next year’s World Cup finals.

But, on a reassuring note for traditionalists, FIFA said there will be no high-tech changes to the all-important referee’s whistle.

FIFA’s referees’ committee said yesterday that it will appoint 33 referees and 34 assistants for the 64 matches in France. This compares with 24 referees and 22 assistants for the 52 matches in the United States in 1994. “But the choice of the most important instrument for the referee, his whistle, will remain strictly personal and no official whistle will be introduced,” FIFA said in a statement.

Freeman urged to ignore boycott call

MELBOURNE: Nine-time Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis today urged Australia’s 400-metre world champion Cathy Freeman to ignore calls for her and other indigenous Australians to boycott the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Lewis, who was involved in the US boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games , said he had not seen evidence of benefits from boycotting. “In the US, we watched the Olympics in 1980. People went and competed, won their medals and went home.”

Philippines horses struck down by infection

MANILA: A bacterial infection has struck down large numbers of Philippines’ race horses, forcing a two-week suspension of racing.

Racing at Manila’s Santa Ana and San Lazaro tracks were cancelled due to an epidemic of streptococcus equi, an equine disease also known as strangles, the Philippine racing commission said.

The commission called off races after 31 horses were scratched from the Santa Ana races last Wednesday, regulations officer Aristeo Macasero told AFP. He said he has heard estimates that between 80 and 90 per cent of all race horses in the Philippines were infected.

British athletes to train in America

LONDON: The British Olympic Association (BOA) has clinched a 12-year deal worth $15.3 million to subsidise warm weather training at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida.

In a statement released yesterday, the BOA said it had signed separate deals with Disney’s Wide World of Sports and the Orlando Regional Health System. Under the agreement, worth 750,000 pounds a year to the BOA, more than 750 British athletes a year will be able to train at the complex for about 50 pounds each a day.

Telemachus gets `affirmative’ seat

JOHANNESBURG: SOUTH Africa’s cricket administrators have named an “affirmative action” player in their squad to tour Australia later this month.

Uncapped coloured fast bowler Roger Telemachus has been included in a party of 16 to deliberately increase the team’s non-white contingent. Coloured duo Paul Adams and Herschelle Gibbs are in the squad on merit. “The vision of United Cricket Board is to have a national cricket team which fully represents the demographics of the country, a team reflecting all of the people of our nation, a team of the people,” said UCB managing director Ali Bacher.