The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 25

May 9, 1984 THE PES MOINES REGISTER 3S AP PHOTO D.H.'s Ilclmicli I I man Soviet fear for security means fear of defection 4 at -4 1 4 dismissed the boycott out of hand. West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, whose differences with Carter were legendary, was unenthusias-tic. Nevertheless, Schmidt said his government would go along. Schmidt said, "Unlike Margaret (Thatcher), I will deliver my committee." And he did. But West Germany, Canada, Norway and Turkey, a Moslem state, were the only NATO allies to go along with the United States.

Israel also joined the boycott. By May 24, the deadline for deciding whether to attend, the State Department counted 60 boycotting states and 73 planning to participate. And on the opening-day ceremonies July 19, 16 teams refused to parade with their national flags, marching with Olympic flags instead a gesture that caused Soviet television cameramen hurriedly to cut away from the parade to focus instead on the Kremlin leadership in the reviewing stand. "It was worth It," Lloyd Cutler, former counselor to President Carter, said Tuesday. "It was a good thing for us to do.

The Soviet people had never known of the world condemnation of the Afghanistan invasion until the Olympic Games." Why are the Soviets returning the favor now? "A combination of two things," he said. "They wanted to get even for the pain and embarrassment and loss of face they suffered in 1980; and they certainly must be concerned about athletes defecting. When the Soviets talk about the 'security' of their athletes, they mean defections." Looking ahead, he said, "It may mean that the politicization of the Olympic Games by the Eastern bloc countries has reached the point where all of them are afraid to let their athletes visit any democratic country." 7m ill IMUI tin HilllMliWIil.lHl AlW WufcWdA Olympic wrestling Coach Dan Gable (right) explains to a that their main competition in the summer Olympics, the group of Olympic wrestling hopefuls In Iowa City Tuesday Soviet Union, has withdrawn from the 1984 Games. 2Z Continued from Page One tions on one side or the other of political barbed wire. Without all the nations, the Summer Games are just another track meet, just another swimming meet, just another basketball tournament, just another boxing show.

Shortly after the Soviet announcement Tuesday, an American was heard to say, "Good, we'll win everything at Los Angeles now." But the essence of sports is competition, not domination. If the Olympic medals aren't difficult to win against all the world's best athletes, the medals lose their importance, just as the medals at Moscow four years ago were tarnished by the absence of the United States and so many other nations. "It reduces the incentive to work hard for the Olympics," said Al Oert-er, a four-time Olympic gold-medal winner in the discus throw. "It also diminishes any accomplishments in them." Oerter warned that the Olympic Games are "in real jeopardy now, two in a row has to reduce their stature tremendously." F. Don Miller, the executive director of the U.S.

Olympic Committee, also feared for the Olympics' future, especially now that the world's two most powerful nations have chosen not to go to Summer Games held in the rival country. After a meeting at the IOC offices in Lausanne, Switzerland, recently to discuss Soviet complaints, Juan Antonio Samaranch, the IOC president, spoke of the passing of the "dark clouds" that threatened Soviet participation So much for Juan Antonio Samaranch's credentials as a weather forecaster. But from the beginning, most Americans, including this one, thought the Russians were bluffing. Without any professional sports as we know them, the entire Soviet sports system is geared to its athletes winning Olympic gold medals. Surely the Soviet Olympic officials, with the approval of the Kremlin, were not about to deprive their athletes of their primary reason for competing the opportunity for Olympic medals.

But they did another example of Olympic politics overruling Olympic sports. But the Carter administration had less success elsewhere. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher enthusiastically supported the idea, but her government could not control the Olympic Association, and British athletes voted to participate. The France of President Valery Giscard d'Es-taing, disdainful of U.S. leadership, 3 BCAUS 50 MUCH IS RIDING ON YOUR TIRti stars out floor exercise.

Natalia Yurchenko was the women's overall champion as teammate Olga Mostepanova won the silver medal in addition to winning the balance beam. SOCCER The Soviets and the United States were scheduled to play a qualifying first-round game in the Rose Bowl on July 31. The United States has a spot in the Games because it is the host team. The Soviets would have to qualify. They have never won the Olympic soccer gold.

OTHERS The Soviets lead East bloc domination of all cycling events and were considered solid gold medal contenders in all categories. The fencing contingent won three gold medals in 1980 and, along with France, could have dominated in Los Angeles. The Soviets are the defending world champions in modern pentathlon, both the team and individual events. The Soviet Union won both the men's and women's volleyball world titles last year, but the women have slipped while the United States probably is No. 1.

The Soviet and Japanese men should be 1-2. The Soviets have been in the middle of the field in judo, field hockey and equestrian events, with medal possibilities in all three. 4 IT Designed and made In America The finest All Around Tire Michelin ever made. DELIVERS UP TO 60,000 THE HEW ALL SEASOH RADIAL LEAVE IT ON 365 DAYS A YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR Clings to vvat roads Saves Fuel Precise Nimble Smooth Quiet Ride These prices are those of Boone County Tinas dovicis timing 'curious' IW.TW.TOWn Continued from Page One use the word "boycott," Gable wasn't the least bit hesitant. "I heard a quote from a Soviet official saying boycott wasn't in their vocabulary," Gable said, "but that's a lie.

The main reason for this is what we did to them in 1980. Yes, the word boycott is in their vocabulary. Defection Concern "I buy one of their reasons and only a little bit. From a Communist standpoint it's not going to be easy to control their athletes the way they want because the Olympics are so spread out. The possibility of a defection is high." According to Ray J.

Parrott, the chairman of the University of Iowa Russian department, Gable is right. The Soviets are more concerned with "security and defections than they are retaliation. Parrott added that he didn't believe the Soviets would change their minds. "They've made the decision," he said, "and they'd lose too much face. The decision was well thought out beforehand.

I suppose we should have seen the signs that they were contemplating this. I feel something must have occurred in the last three or four weeks, specifically Soviet agitation, that tipped the balance in favor of those who counseled against coming to Los Angeles." Many of the U.S.S.R. athletes, particularly in basketball, are in the prime of their careers, he said, and could stand to lose much. In 1988, the Soviet basketball players will be older and likely not as effective. In Raveling's mind, losing the Soviets does not mean losing the bulk of the United States' competition.

A basketball victory over the Soviets would be satisfying, he said, but winning the gold without them would hardly classify as a hollow victory. Raveling did concede, however, that a gold medal without the Soviets in the field would carry a psychological asterisk. "I don't think it means anything as it relates to basketball," he said. "There are three or four teams as good as Russia. What we don't know is the sort of residual effect it will have on the other communist and Third World countries.

How many will sympathize with them and pull out. "Holding Out Hope" "What bothers me is that two of the most powerful nations in the world, with the intellectual power to put a man on the moon, can't come together on two relatively insignificant issues security and attitude. Something's wrong when that occurs. But I see both of these points as being highly negotiable. I'm holding out hope.

Nothing's official until the second of June." Raveling called the boycott another step in what could ultimately result in the demise of the Olympics. "Obviously," he said, "the Olympics have become a political vehicle. We're jiot any less guilty because we're the ones who set the precedent. I don't think we can objectively sit here and point a finger at the Russians." Helmick, a Des Moines lawyer and third vice president of the U.S. Olympic Committee, spent the weekend with, in his words, "a high-level athletic official with a communist country" who was certain the Soviets would participate in the games.

(Helmick wouldn't divulge the name of the official or country.) If the Soviets are serious about their announcement, Helmick said, he finds the timing "curious." "If they wanted to cause as much trouble as possible," he said, "they'd have announced their decision the day before the June 2 deadline." Though Helmick refused to speculate on Soviet motives, he said he wasn't sure what the Soviets could gain by an attempt at retaliation. "What good did it do us?" he asked. "I would speculate that whatever they do, they feel it's in their best interest. "And I'm not sure it's in their best inter-est to retaliate against us." He added that the Soviet security concerns are not manufactured excuses to avoid the Games. By Hel-mick's account, the Soviet Union is truly worried by any contact the athletes might have with an open society.

Security Satisfies USOC "The Soviet Union has concerns that are very real to them," Helmick said. we have a free society and must allow for the setup we have. In our judgment, however, there's no real risk. We're satisfied with the security." According to Helmick, a Soviet boycott is far from a catastrophe in respect to the planning that goes into the games. "We've carefully planned this for six years," he said.

"We have a plan with them and one without them, in cluding two different budgets. It would be a disaster if we scaled down the effort and they changed their mind. But we won't react like that. "This isn't a devastating blow to us. I hope they change their minds, but we're not going to allow their absence to diminish the worth of a medal.

If the Soviet runner isn't there, it's still going to be a good race." When asked why the Soviets did not voice similar concerns at the '80 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., Helmick responded, "I pose that to the Soviet Union." Charges dropped against A's Norris OAKLAND, CALIF. (AP) Prosecutors decided Tuesday not to file criminal charges against Oakland A's pitcher Mike Norris, who police say had 0.13 grams of cocaine when he was arrested over the weekend in a budget motel. Police booked Norris for investigation of four drug counts after they took him into custody Sunday, but Assistant Alameda County District Attorney Howard Janssen said Tuesday his office would decline to press any charge. "This decision was reached after a careful review of the Oakland Police reports and a thorough discussion with the Police Department," said Janssen. PRIGES START AS LOW AS P15580R13XA4T mm Hilti Torch relay starts for LA.

NEW YORK, N.Y. (AP) The Olympic torch relay began Tuesday in a spring shower and under the cloud of a Soviet boycott of the 1984 Summer Games at Los Angeles. Only a short time after the torch began its cross-country journey, the Soviet Union announced it would not attend the Games becuase of the United States' "cavalier attitude" toward the Olympic Charter. By Late afternoon, the flame, which arrived from Greece Monday, had left New York City on its way through Connecticut toward Boston, where it was due to arrive on Thursday. One torch bearer was particularly affected by the news of the Soviet pull-out.

Mark Breland, an Olympic boxer from New York, started his relay kilometer to the salutes of a sizable crowd and a high school band, but he did not hide his disappointment. "No, I don't like it, Breland said, "but I got to keep on going. I'm still going for the gold." Another torch bearer, Edward Na-throp, taking the flame from his son, Will, echoed the sentiment. "I guess that's their decision," he said. "It (the pullout) is not fair after an athlete spends all his life training." Others, exhilarated by their participation in moving the torch to Los Angeles, were less bothered.

"Who cares. Who cares," said Joanne Ruggiro of New York. Gilda Marx, another Manhattan torch bearer, said, "No political questions, please. This is exciting enough as it is." Gary Brutus, a New Yorker boxer running beside the torch bearers, described himself as in training for the 1988 Olympics. He said of the Soviets: "First, they were in, then out in, then out.

That's too bad. It's good to have the competition." The torch relay, which will cover some 8,700 miles to the Los Angeles Coliseum, began at the United Nations Plaza after a brief ceremony attended by the mayors of New York and Los Angeles. The grandchildren of Olympic greats Jesse Owens and Jim Thorpe jointly accepted the first torch from Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee President Peter V. Ueberroth. Gina Hemphill, granddaughter of Owens, 1936 quadruple gold medalist, and Bill Thorpe grandson of the 1912 decathlon-pentathlon gold medalist, started the first kilometer.

Thorpe and Hemphill ran together, the torch in her right hand and in his left. They passed the flame to Abel Kiviat, 91 -year-old silver medalist in the 1,500 meters at the 1912 Olympic Games and the oldest living U.S. Olympic medalist. Kiviat ran the first block and walked the remainder of his kilometer. A bystander handed him a miniature flag, which he waved as he walked.

USA-USSR MEDAL COMPARISON Th medals won by tht Soviet Union and the United States In the Summer Olympic Games. Listed are the number of oofd, sliver and bronie won and the placing for total medals won: Gymnastics Continued from Page One Vardaniani at 181 pounds, the 1980 gold medalist and five-time world champion. BASKETBALL The Soviet women's basketball team is the defending Olympic champion and was expected to do as well this year. The team is led by 7-foot 2-inch, 280-pound Ilyaka Semenova. The Soviet men are led by 7-2 Arvi-das Sabonis, considered by many experts as the greatest talent ever produced in European basketball, but they also have 7-4 center Vladimir Tkachenko and 7-2 Aleksandar Belos-tenni.

The Soviets, despite being heavy favorites, lost the European Championships to Spain by one point. WRESTLING The Soviets had five favorites for gold medals in both freestyle and Greco Roman competition. They won five Greco Roman world championships in Kiev last September. Now, however, U.S. Coach Dan Gable of Iowa said the United States is a shoo-in for the Olympic team title.

ROWING "We may well have been handed a gold medal," said Kath-erine Reith of the U.S. Rowing Association. She was talking about the U.S. chances in women's rowing, which has been dominated by the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries. The Soviet withdrawal will not have as much of an impact on men's rowing, which other countries dominate.

SHOOTING The Soviets are competitive in all areas, strongest in running game target and pistol. They currently hold six of the 11 world records in Olympic shooting sports. BOXING The Soviets would have been in contention, though they lack the overall strength of the United States and Cuba. They had six finalists in the 1980 Olympics, when the United States was not present, but won only one gold medal. GYMNASTICS The reigning world overall champions in both the men's and women's divisions are from the Soviet Union.

Dimitri Belozerchev won the men's overall title last November in Indianapolis by placing first in the pommel horse and the rings, while finishing second in the Payton signs vitli Bears CHICAGO, ILL. (AP) All-Pro running back Walter Payton, who earlier passed on a reported 2 million-a-year contract from the Chicago Blitz of the rival United States Football League, signed three one-year pacts Tuesday with the Chicago Bears. Neither Payton nor the National Football League club released financial details of the contracts. Payton, 29, trails only Pittsburgh's Franco Harris and former Cleveland Browns great Jim Brown on the NFL's career rushing list. He has played for the Bears since being drafted in the first round out of Jackson State in 1975.

Payton needs just 688 yards to crack Brown's 12,312 career total. Last season, the perennial All-Pro finished with 1,421 his fourth-best total in nine years in the NFL. He also holds several league marks and nearly two dozen club records. Payton became the subject of a bidding war earlier this year when the Chicago Blitz reportedly offered him a three-year contract estimated at $6 million. oaves CLUB HOU5 4050 UNIVERSITY Uptown Shopping Canto' 277-9099 HOURS SAT.

10:004:00 SUN. MILES' SIZE 1 HOW XA4TBLK PI6580R13 1 $53.85 P17570R13 57.73 P17580R13 62.52 P18575R14 71.15 P20575R15 1 85.86 XA4WWT P15580R13 I $55.10 P16580R13 61.60 P17580R13 71.59 P18570R14 77.62 P19575R14 85.38 P21570R15 94.83 P22575R15 99.49 Handling USA 40 17 First USSR JO It Second lS USSR 37 32 First USA 32 25 17 Second 1N0 USSR 43 31 First USA 34 21 16 Second 1M4 USA It It First USSR 30 31 25 Second 19M USA 45 21 34 First USSR 79 32 30 Second mi USSR 50 27 22 First USA 33 31 30 Second IT7 USSR 49 41 35 First USA 34 35 25 Third 1900 USSR 4e First USA did not parttepate. '(Depending on how you drive) INDIANOLA Cambron's Tire Service 307 South Jefferson (515) 961-7564 MASON CITY Mason City Tire Company Monroe Highway 106 (515) 424 2561 WEST DES MOINES Bernie Marks Discount Tire Inc. 210 Crand Avenue (515) 5-4942 Tire. See your authorized local dealer for their prices.

ALGONA Jack's OK Tire Highway 18 East (515) 295-2459 BOONE Boone County Tire 8th Benton (515) 432 8469 CLEAR LAKE Pat's OK Tire 880 Highway 18 West (515) 357-7117 4 DES Allied Oil 5512 NE (515) Bernie Discount 835 East (515) Butterworth 433 East (515) Griffin 1517 E. (515) Ruan Tire Sales Service 2040 Hull Avenue (515) 245-2600 FORT DODGE Pingel Tyre Auto 1903 First Avenue North (515) 955-5828 GREENFIELD Greenfield Tire, Inc. 503 E. 6th (515) 743 2921 HUMBOLDT OK Tire Store in Humboldt 401 Sumner Avenue (515) 332-2064 MOINES Supply 17th Street 262-9381 Marks Tire Inc. Euclid 262-5611 Tire Company Grand 244-5214 Radial Tire.

Aurora 262-6708 MOTHER'S DAY I SPECIAL 10 OFF I ALL WOMEN'S CLOTHING, EQUIPMENT ACCESSORIES I Of far Good Thru Sundov. Mov 13.