Taliban international Olympic Committee

Afghanistan’s IOC membership has been suspended because of the strict rules applied by the Afghan Islamic militia which rules most of the country with an ultra-orthodox doctrine. After a lot of haggling the IOC had decided to invite only two observers from the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan’s national Olympic committee to attend the games without parading the militia’s flag.

Host name jumbo squad

SYDNEY: The Australian Olympic Committee has named a 628-member team to compete at the Sydney Games.

The AOC has submitted its biggest ever team to the International Olympic Committee, although the composition of the team could change with appeals pending from athletes in six Sports.

With 20 days remaining until the opening ceremony, Australian officials are considering appeals over selections in athletics triathlon, volleyball, fencing, shooting and canoeing. Australian athletes will compete in all 28 Sports at the Sydney games.

Cheats on hit-list
SYDNEY: Australian customs officers have been given a hit-list of Olympic athletes and nations who may try to smuggle banned drugs into the country.

The Sydney Morning Herald said bag and body searches would be stepped up when athletes begin arriving next week. In some Sports all competitors and officials will face what one officer described as “more thorough questioning and examination”.

Security will also be tightened, with staff at Sydney Airport upped from 600 to 800. Customs spokesman Leon Bedington said that custom officers were the only line of defence against the increasing use of undetectable human growth hormones and the endurance drug erythropietin (EPO). Athletes will not be tested for these drugs at the Olympics.

Aboriginal peace march
CANBERRA: An Aboriginal March left Canberra on Saturday for the Sydney Olympics, professing a message of peace and understanding.

In a ceremony, a `peace flame’ was kindled that will burn throughout the Games. Leader Kevin Buzzacott said the Olympics provided a good forum for the Aboriginal community to promote peace in Australia.

He said the March was a protest aimed at drawing attention to Aboriginal demands for reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

Christie withdraws
LONDON: Former Olympic champion Linford Christie had his Sydney Games personal coach’s accreditation withdrawn by UK Athletics on Friday at his own request.

Christie was banned for a minimum of two years by the International Amateur Athletic Federation on Monday after testing positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone.

The British sprinter, who has protested his innocence on the drugs charge, said in a statement that `the difficult decision’ had been taken after he had talked to his athletes. “I feel they will suffer from the media circus which is likely to surround my presence in Sydney.”

Christie, 100 metres gold medallist at the 1992 Barcelona Games, said he had asked his own coach Rod Roddan to accompany the athletes during their preparations and “be my eyes and voice during this important time”.

World’s biggest movement of horses complete
SYDNEY: The last of 237 horses set to compete in the Olympic Games has arrived in Sydney, capping off the largest movement of horses in the world.

A Lufthansa 747 flight charted by Sydney organisers, carrying the remaining 44 prized horses, touched down at Sydney Airport late Friday.

The horses, which have come from Germany, Bulgaria, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and Italy, will remain under quarantine until September 8.

“Remarkably for the biggest movement of horses by air, we have had not major health, safety nor quarantine issues and the whole project has been a great success,” SOCOG veterinary services manager Nigel Nichols said in a statement.