Globalsport

Sydney Olympics may witness blood testsLONDON: Athletes at next year's Olympic Games face blood tests for the first time in a concerted c...

Sydney Olympics may witness blood tests

LONDON: Athletes at next year8217;s Olympic Games face blood tests for the first time in a concerted crackdown against drugs in sport, Britain8217;s Observer newspaper reported today. The International Olympic Committee IOC is planning to introduce blood tests at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in a bid to stop competitors taking the energy enhancing substance EPO and human growth hormones, neither of which can be found in urine, it said. Athletes at Sydney will be tested by both means as the IOC seeks to end a series of damaging drugs cases.

Greene, Jones clock British bests

LONDON: Maurice Greene and Marion Jones, the fastest man and woman on the planet, tuned up for the World Championships with sparkling 100-metre performances at the British Grand Prix. Both Americans recorded the quickest times ever run in Britain, Greene timing 9.97 seconds no man had previously ever beaten 10s here while Jones ran 10.80 no woman had ever run sub-11s. Greene wasfollowed by Canadian Bruny Surin 10.02 and Britain8217;s Dwaine Chambers 10.04. Moroccan Hicham el Guerrouj, needing a 53-second final lap and left to run the final 500m on his own, settled for a time of three minutes, 47.09 seconds in the mile, just under four seconds outside his previous best. Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie also flirted with world record pace before winning the rarely-run two mile event here in 8:01.72.

Cuban pugilists on gold hunt

WINNIPEG: Cuba has finished with nine out of a possible 12 gold medals in the Pan American Games boxing after all four of their fighters in action won their finals easily. Three of the Cubans won their fights within the distance while Argentine boxers won the other two of Saturday8217;s six finals. Yudel Jhonson set the Cubans on their way when he outpointed Zayas Younan 11-2 in a one-sided featherweight final. The other Cuban wins were even easier.

While Jorge Gutierrez light middleweight and Humberto Savigne light heavyweight mauled their opponents,Alexis Rubalcaba, the 6-foot-8 super heavyweight, did not even have to throw a punch for his gold. He won by a walkover when Davin King of the United States failed to show up.

Italian cyclist claims World Classic

SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain: Italy8217;s Francesco Casagrande, who rides for the Vini Caldirola team, today won the San Sebastian Classic World Cup race for the second year running. Casagrande covered the 230km circuit, which started and finished in the basque city, in five hours 17 minutes 18 seconds.

Schumacher undergoes minor operation

MARANELLO, Italy: Two-time world Formula One champion Michael Schumacher underwent a minor operation in a hospital at Geneva, Switzerland on Sunday, his Ferrari team announced. The 30-year-old German broke his right leg in two places when he crashed into a tyre barrier at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in mid-July. After Schumacher underwent a medical examination in Geneva yesterday, doctors ruled out his testing at Fiorano today with a view to apossible return to competition at the Hungarian Grand Prix on August 15. Today8217;s operation involved the removal of pins that were used to help mend the breaks in his leg. He will continue physiotherapy on Monday.