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Thursday, September 14
Customs serves summons on coach
ESPN.com news services
SYDNEY, Australia -- Uzbekistan track and field coach Sergei
Voynov was served a summons in the Olympic Village to appear in
court next week on charges he tried to illegally bring
performance-enhancing drugs into Australia.
Voynov, who could face expulsion from the Olympics and severe
legal penalties in Australia, was handed the summons late Wednesday
by Australian Customs Service officials. He is scheduled to make a
court appearance next Tuesday.
"Customs will be alleging that the substance is human growth
hormone, which is a prohibited import," a statement on the customs
service's Web site said.
The president of the Uzbek national Olympic committee contends
Voynov brought the 15 vials of HGH into Australia for personal use
as part of his treatment for a skin disorder.
Leon Bedington, the Olympics spokesman for the customs service,
said Thursday that Voynov must respond in court to a charge of
importing a prohibited substance. The coach does not have to appear
personally, but can send a legal representative on his behalf.
On Tuesday, he is expected to either enter a plea or seek
another hearing date. Bedington said officials will try to expedite
the process, since they know Voynov is scheduled to be in Australia
only during the Olympics.
Under a law passed in March, a person caught illegally importing
a performance-enhancing drug into Australia could face a maximum
penalty of five years in prison and a $57,000 fine.
HGH, a muscle-building drug banned by the International Olympic
Committee, is covered by that law.
Going, going, gone
There was little rhyme to the reasons --
drugs, mental exhaustion, a pennant race -- but an assortment of
athletes disappeared from the Summer Games.
U.S. baseball player C.C. Sabathia was yanked off the American
squad Wednesday (Tuesday night ET) by the Cleveland Indians after
team officials discovered their prized prospect would be pitching
in relief.
The Indians had agreed to let Sabathia pitch only if he started
and was held to a pitch count. Sabathia, 20, was one of the few top
major-league prospects on the American team.
Rather than pitching in Australia, Sabathia could start next
week in Fenway Park when the Indians play back-to-back
doubleheaders with the Boston Red Sox -- a key matchup in the
American League wild-card race.
Swiss tennis star Marc Rosset pulled himself out of the Games,
citing "extreme physical and mental exhaustion." Rosset, 29, the
1992 Olympic gold medalist, said his condition made it unlikely
that he would medal in Sydney.
Gone as well, due to a failed drug test, was Taiwanese
weightlifter Chen Po-pu. Chuang Tsun-che, chief of Taiwan's Olympic
delegation, said he received formal notice from the International
Weightlifting Federation that Chen had tested positive for
"prohibited drugs" on Tuesday, Taiwan's Central News Agency
reported.
And swimmer Yevgeniya Yermakova of Kazakstan was dumped from the
Olympics after testing positive for a drug masking agent. Yermakova
tested positive for Furosemide, a diuretic, at a meet in Monte
Carlo in May.
Arrivals
Barry McCaffrey, head of the White House drug policy
office, touched down in Australia and immediately praised China for
dropping more than 20 athletes from its Olympic team over failed
drug tests.
"It's a tremendous demonstration of their seriousness of
purpose of acting against doping in their own teams," McCaffrey
told The Associated Press shortly after his arrival. "It's a
terrific signal that they are committed."
McCaffrey, part of the 10-member official U.S. delegation,
delivered the same message in a letter to China's sports minister.
The delegation also included first daughter Chelsea Clinton.
Gymnastics
After missing some practice time with injuries, a
pair of U.S. gymnasts were back at work Wednesday (Tuesday night
ET). Stephen McCain and John Roethlisberger were expected to
compete this weekend when the games get rolling.
McCain severely sprained his right ankle during training camp 10
days ago in San Diego. Roethlisberger strained his left calf at the
Olympic trials last month, and it flared up again a few days ago.
"Stephen responded today with brilliance," U.S. coach Peter
Kormann said. "He gets the badge-of-courage award."
Ineligible
So close. So far.
Canadian diver Arturo Miranda, who missed out on a shot at the
1992 Games, was barred from participating in the Sydney Olympics by
the International Olympic Committee. Cuban officials refused to
grant a waiver to the Havana-born Miranda, who became a Canadian
citizen in December 1999.
It was his second near-miss at the Olympics. In 1992, he was
dropped by the Cuban squad for financial reasons just 15 days
before the Barcelona Games.
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