Global sports

Olympic tickets

SALT LAKE CITY: Interested in a front row seat at the 2002 Olympic hockey finals? Click on SaltLake2002.com and get a chance at the 730,000 tickets available to the public for the 2002 Winter Games.

For the first time, Olympic tickets are going on sale over the Internet. While you might not be able to get that front row seat, Salt Lake Olympic Committee president Mitt Romney assured Americans — Utah residents in particular — that anyone who signed up quickly would be virtually guaranteed a ticket.

Holyfield injured

LAS VEGAS: Evander Holyfield’s June 10 fight with John Ruiz for the vacant WBA heavyweight title was called off after Holyfield suffered an injury in training.

Holyfield had been scheduled to fight Ruiz at Caesars Palace for the piece of the title taken from Lennox Lewis by a judge for not defending it against the top-ranked contender.

Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, said he was told Holyfield was injured while training in Houston and the card was canceled.

Taylor makes history

LONDON: Gloucestershire batsman Chris Taylor has written a new chapter in English cricket history when he became the first player ever to make a Lord’s century on his County Championship debut. The 23-year-old hit 104 out of Gloucestershire’s 259 all out in their Division Two clash to rescue his team from 29 for four at the home of cricket.

Taylor’s ton — only the second by anyone on debut for Gloucestershire — came up in 179 balls and contained 15 fours.

HK hits back

HONK KONG: Hong Kong hit back at Malaysia over charges it had attempted to boost its bid for the 2006 Asian Games by dishing out expensive gifts to members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

Sieh Kok Chi, secretary Olympic Council of Malaysia, said he had been stunned to learn that OCA delegates attending a meeting in Rio de Janeiro last week had received a gift pack from Hong Kong which included a silver-plated clock and letter-opener.

But members of Hong Kong’s bidding team insisted that the gifts were worth less than 200 HK dollars ($25).

Savante wins

DURHAM: Savante Stringfellow leaped 8.17 metres on his fourth attempt to defeat fellow American Melvin Lister, the year’s top long jumper, at the NCAA championships.

Stringfellow, a 21-year-old student at the University of Mississippi, never trailed in the US Collegiate athletics championships, leaping 8.13 metres on his first attempt.

Lister, who had a best of 8.49 metres this year, finished fourth at 7.92 metres.

Korean’s to march

SEOUL: South Korean Olympic Chief Kim Un-Yong has said athletes from the two Koreas could March hand-in-hand behind the Olympic flag at the opening of the Sydney Games in September. “South and North Korean athletes can enter the main stadium at the opening ceremony with National Olympic Committee flags flying together behind the Olympic flag,” the Korea Olympic Committee president told reporters on Wednesday.

Kim, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said South and North Korean sports officials could discuss the formation of joint teams for international competitions after an inter-Korean summit next month. His comments came in response to a letter sent last week by IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch to South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung.

Samaranch has proposed South and North Korean athletes March together under the Olympic flag at the opening of the Sydney Games.