Olympic medals unveiled

The front of the medals incorporates the traditional Olympic symbols, including the representation of Nike – the Greek goddess of victory – holding a laurel wreath, and a colosseum. Adding an Australian flavours to the design on the front are some sprigs of wattle, an Australian native plant.

On the reverse side, Sydney’s World-famous architectural icon, the Opera House, is depicted symbolically amid the waves of the Sydney Harbor.

The Olympic flame is represented opposite the Opera House and below the five rings symbol of the International Olympic Committee.

“It was a challenge to incorporate the traditional Olympic symbols, which must feature on all Olympic medals, and the Australian symbols, but I’m happy with the design,” said Pietranik, a designer with Australia’s Royal Mint in Canberra, who won a competition to design the medals.

Investigation dropped

SALT LAKE CITY: Utah’s attorney general dropped her investigation and will not take any action regarding Salt Lake’s tainted bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Jan Graham said on Friday that her investigation was covered by the July 20 federal indictment of former bid Chief Tom Welch and deputy Dave Johnson.

“While we are no longer actively pursing this matter, if we are made aware of new information that implicates violation of state law, we will certainly consider that information and take appropriate action,” she said.

Welch and Johnson were accused of violating Utah’s commercial bribery act in a 15-count indictment charging conspiracy, fraud and racketeering in their successful pursuit of the Winter Games. A trial scheduled for October 16 probably will be delayed for months as Welch and Johnson prepare their defence.

Cuba says no to Montalvo

HAVANA: Cuba will not be allowing World long jump champion Niurka Montalvo, Cuban-born but a naturalised Spaniard, to compete in Sydney under the flag of her adopted country, Cuban Olympic Committee (COC) President Jose Ramon Fernandez said.

Fernandez said it was the same for all Cuban athletes competing for other countries. “All the athletes are in the same position, those who have been Cuban and then abandoned us,” he said. “They will all receive the same categoric refusal and none of them will be authorited by our Olympic committee to compete under another flag.”

The Cuban government have always condemned what they call the `desertion’ of high level Sports stars. He further denounced the mentality of financial gain which he believed brought about many baseball players plying their trade in the US.

Montalvo won her World title in Seville last year in front of her adopted home supporters after marrying a Spaniard in early 1998 bringing about naturalisation on May 5 last year.

Her competing for her new country however upset the Cuban authorities who, according to article 46 of the Olympic Charter, officially have the right to prevent Montalvo competing in the Olympics because she has already competed for Cuba and has been naturalised for less than three years.

Monarchists hurt

SYDNEY: Monarchists demanded on Saturday that the official souvenir programme of the Sydney Olympic games be withdrawn because an article in it says Australia should be a republic, local media reported.

In the article, expatriate art critic and author Robert Hughes berates fellow Australians for rejecting the chance, offered in a referendum last year, to ditch Britain’s queen Elizabeth as head of state.

The Monarchists were offended. “The Olympics is Australia on show to the rest of the World,” Australian Monarchist leader Kerry Jones told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “We voted last year on the republic issue, we voted no.”

The radio report said Jones planned to write to International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch demanding the souvenir programme be pulped.

Olympic organisers said they had no involvement in its contents beyond checking the accuracy of information directly related to the games.

“They have total editorial control,” said an Olympics spokesman, referring to the programme’s US based publisher, Sports Illustrated.

Opinion polls suggest that many Australians voted to keep the monarchy by default, rejecting last year’s referendum offer of a president chosen by parliament because they wanted a directly elected president.

Krayzelburg nabs berth

INDIANAPOLIS: Triple World record-holder Lenny Krayzelburg fell victim to the pressure-cooker emotions of the US Olympic trials on Friday, but still booked his ticket to Sydney with a win in the 100m backstroke.

Krayzelburg, who looked comfortable and supremely confident in the heats and semi-finals, made the mistake of following short course World record-holder Neil Walker when Walker took the race out in a 50m split of 25.59 seconds. Krayzelburg paid for it at the end, tighten it up in the final 10 meters and misjudging his finish to miss Out on a chance to lower his World record.

`Kansas Comet’ is back

ZURICH: World 100m record holder Maurice Greene returned from injury in triumph here romping home to leave seven of the 10 fastest men in the World this year trailing in his wake.

The man they call the `Kansas Comet’ showed no ill-effects from a two week lay-off with a hamstring injury and clocked 9.94 seconds, the 30th time he had run under 10 seconds. In contrast to Greene’s dominant performance two-time 100m World champion Marion Jones had to come from behind to edge ahead of her American compatriot Inger Miller.