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This is an archive article published on September 23, 2000

The side show

Sexual assault at the GamesPolice in Sydney have issued an arrest warrant for a 23-year-old Olympic athlete in connection with an alleged ...

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Sexual assault at the Games
Police in Sydney have issued an arrest warrant for a 23-year-old Olympic athlete in connection with an alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl, a police statement said on Friday. It did not identify the athlete or his nationality. The statement said the alleged assault had been “committed upon a 17-year-old female at a western Sydney suburb in the early hours of Wednesday”. The athlete’s team management had been informed, it said. It was not clear whether the athlete was still in the Olympic Village, in the Homebush area of western Sydney.

Cultural divide over cleavage
In ancient Greece, men competed naked at the Olympics. At Sydney 2000, the women’s waterpolo players are halfway there. As the women do battle in the pool, many of their bathing costumes are being ripped. Then comes the big dilemma – play on topless or swim to the side for a quick change? And that is where the continents start to differ. The Europeans happily play on and won’t waste time on a quick change. The Americans and Australians adopt a more modest approach they swim speedily to the side and cover up.

Hay-day for US n Anthony Ervin and Gary Hall shared the gold medal after dead heating in the men’s 50m freestyle – and they also share some unusual dietary habits. Their coach Mike Bottom claims he feeds the pair with nutritional supplements fed to Kentucky Derby winner, Fusaichi Pegasus.

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Carjacker caught
A man accused of escaping from a Sydney jail and carjacking an Olympic vehicle has been caught and charged with 11 offences at a court hearing on Friday. The charges levelled at Chad Richards, 26, include escape, stealing a motor vehicle and driving while under the influence of a drug after he was arrested at his girlfriend’s Southwestern Sydney home late yesterday. Stolen gear found n THREE men have been arrested over the theft of a hire car and canoeing gear worth $ 14,400 belonging to the United States canoe and kayak team, police said on Friday. The three men were charged with stealing a motor vehicle, breaking, entering and stealing and goods in custody offences and will appear in court on October 16.

Celebrity watch
Chelsea Clinton was in the crowd to see Venus Williams reach the quarter-finals of the Olympic tennis tournament then hooked up with her and younger sister Serena after the match. Chelsea, representing her father at the Games, praised Venus on her win and Serena on her ability to get to nearly as many hot-ticket Olympic events as she has, according to one witness.

Bite bet
France’s women’s basketball coach Alain Jardel is rueing a wager he made before the start of the Olympic tournament.

He told his charges that he would eat only burgers from a famous multinational company if they reached quarter-finals. For someone from the Perigord – a region that enjoys a reputation for gastronomy and where fast food is seen as a cultural abomination – that was no idle bet. One more victory will mean Jardel will have to fulfil his bet.

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