Victoria Advocate from Victoria, Texas • 22

4B-THE VICTORIA ADVOCATE, Sunday. Julv 15. 1964 U.S. Medal Hopes Politics. Red Taioie Aside, 1 1 or JLos Angeies Olympics Represent Spirit add $3.3 billion to the Southern California economy.

That economy already has been boosted by the commercialization of the Games. Because voters said No" to spending any tax dollars, the LA Olympics must pay for themselves, and Ueberroth and his people have relied on selective but expensive sponsorships to provide the money. Their budget is $600 million. When the books are closed, they expect to find black ink. The Soviets cited commercial use of the five Olympic rings as one reason for their pullout, and indeed, the symbol is everywhere.

Sponsors range from to McDonald's, and even Walt Disney studios got into the act with Sam the Eagle, the official mascot. "Personally, I am not uncomfortable with corporate involvement," said Julian Roosevelt, one of two U.S. representatives on the IOC. "I do dislike seeing the Olympic rings on beer cans, sandwich wrappers and other products." Then, enlisting the memory of a simpler time, Roosevelt added: "I am sure if Avery Brundidge were alive, he wouldn't have allowed this to happen." Brundidge, a rock -bound traditionalist, retired in 1972 as IOC president, and died shortly thereafter. Since then, the movement he loved so has suffered through three boycotts (black Africa in Montreal in 1976 and the USA-USSR exchange in 1980-84), a billion-dollar public debt from one set of Games (Montreal again) and threats of more trouble four years down the road.

Those threats are what worry Samaranch. "If the situation (between Washington and Moscow) remains as it is at present, or if we go through still greater crises, we would have to fear the worst," he said in an interview with L'Equipe, the Paris sports daily. Another boycott, Samaranch said, and "the Olympic Games would not get over it." That matter, he says, will not be addressed until later, until these Games are ended. For now, the focus can turn to the athetes runner against runner, swimmer against swimmer, cyclist against cyclist, the diver, the gymnast, the rower, the archer. The focus can be on spirit and competition, dedication and sacrifice, victory and defeat.

It can be on the closing ceremonies, with its laser light pyrotechnics, a medals ceremonies for the marathon and equesterian events, with a hi-tech celebration that Wolper promises will make athletes happy, the world happy. A happy goodbye, he says. Then the focus will turn once again to whether those goodbyes were goodbyes for good to the Olympics. And if the reality of a mega-event, with 7,800 athletes, 8,200 journalists. 26 events at venues stretched over 20C miles, and 1784 hours of prime-time television coverage hasn't set in by then, certainly it ill after the opening ceremonies.

Traffic surely will snarl, smog choke, heat oppress. Worse, the possibility of disaster looms, from terrorist strikes that have made security an Olympic obsession to earthquakes in fault-lined Southern California, a scenerio that not all the police and federal agents in the country can guard against. If man-made problems are minimal, Peter Ueberroth and his Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee will have pulled off a minor miracle, created another world wonder. He will have some marvelous athletes to help toward that goal. Carl Lewis.

Edwin Moses, Carol Lewis, Mary Decker, South Africa's (via England's) Zola Budd, Alberto Salazar, Steve Scott, Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe in track and field. Tracy Caulkins, Rick Carey, Mary T. Meagher, West Germany's Michael Gross, Canada's Alex Baumann in swimming. Greg Louganis, Bruce Kimball, Kelly McCormick in diving. Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, Wayman Chris Mullin in basketball.

Mark Breland, Pernell Whitaker, Tyrell Briggs in boxing. Peter Vidmar, Mitch Gaylord, Mary Lou Retton in gymnastics. Daley Thompson of Britain and Jurgen Hingsen of West Germany in the decathalon Hundreds of others will take home medals, too, some whose names probably are not now known outside their home towns. The champions, however, will not include some of the world's best athletes, absent solely for political reasons. In a tit-for-tat manuever, the Soviet Union and most of its Eastern "Bloc friends will not attend these Games, just as the United States and many of its allies boycotted the 1980 Games in Moscow.

The boycotts, and the potential for another boycott in 1988 when the Olympics are in South Korea, have placed future Games in jeopordy. International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch acknowledged last week. But these Games shall go on. In all, athletes from 17 countries will be absent, yet 142 nations are set to participate more countries than ever with more athletes than ever. Politics aside, the boycott by the Soviets, the East Germans, the Cubans and others taints the Games in a more basic way, in many cases turning medals into hollow images ol what might have been.

Yet, after the politics and the commercialism and the security problems, the reason for the Games remains, and discussion can turn to human endeavor under nightmarish pressure. It can turn to the breath-taking spectacle of an unknown athlete from an little-known country winning the gold, standing on the medals stand, back arched, face skyward, painting a vivid picture of achievement over untold odds. The flag of the winner's home country is raised, its anthem played. A goose-bump moment, a very human moment. Unparalleled in part because these Games are so big and chaotic, so much under the world's microscopic eye.

The unblinking eye of television. The bulk of ABC's record Olympic programming in the United States will be live and will bump all but the most highly rated soap operas from the mid-summer schedule. The network paid $225 million for the U.S. rights to LA. It may get some of that back, because of the boycott, but even if it doesn't, it will turn a tidy profit of about $100 million.

And it will focus its cameras and commentators on a U.S. team that, most experts agree, is awesome. "Absolutely the best team we have ever sent to the Olympics," said Ollan Cassell, executive director of The Athletics Congress, governing body for American track and field. "Other countries should be thinking they have to finish somewhere other than first," said Don GambriU, the U.S. swimming coach.

"For two weeks," men's Coach Bobby Knight added, "I want to make this the best basketball team in the world bar none." "I hate to dwell on things like medal counts," F. Don Miller, the U.S. Olympic Committee executive director, said. "But I think that our team could surpass the total of 195 medals won by the Soviet Union at Moscow in 1980, which included 80 gold medals." Americans won their most medals, 238, in 1904 at St. Louis, when there were only 800 athletes at the Games; 500 of them came from the United States.

So Americans will win more medals, but the absence of the Soviets, East Germans and Cubans, in particular, is a mixed blessing. "The Cuba loss is the biggest loss," said Don Hull, president of the International Association of Amateur Boxing. The Cubans and the Americans were expected to flail it out in the rings at the LA Sports Arena. "Let's face it," said Murray Levin, president of the U.S. Weightlifting Federation.

"The boycott will have a profound effect, because the Russians and the Eastern Europeans are so dominant in our sport." The loss of the Soviet-bloc countries may have had another impact. Some hotels, rental car agencies and other businesses hoping to cash in on an Olympic boom have been disappointed, although the Games still are expected to draw 650,000 tourists and By Thf AivocUl Pre A sport-by-sport look at the medal chances for VS. athletes and teams in the 1964 Summer Olympics, to be held in Los Angeles July 2S-Aug. 12: ARCHERY The United States has won more Olympic archery medals than any other country since competition in the sport began in 1904. Darrell Pace, 1976 gold medalist and two-time world champion, leads the men's team with Rick McKinney.

current world champion. BASKETBALL Coached by Bobby Knight of Indiana University, the men's team expects tough matchups with Italy, the current world champion; Yugoslavia, the defending gold medalist, and Brazil, the best from South America. The women's team, coached by Pat Head Summitt of the University of Tennessee, received a huge boost when the 1983 Pan American team defeated the Soviet Union in an exhibition match. The United States is the favorite for the gold in both tournaments. BOXING With the absence of three-time Olympic champ Teofilo Stevenson of Cuba.

Tyre 11 Biggs has a good chance at winning the heavyweight gold medal. Mark re land, the five-time Golden Gloves champion, is considered a favorite in the 147-pound class, while Pernell Whitaker. who defeated Cuba's two-time Olympic champion Angel Herrera this summer, is the favorite at 132. Still, it will tough for the American squad to match the five gold medals won by U.S. boxers in 1576.

CANOEING The Soviets and East Germans have dominated both canoeing and kayaking in the Olympics and world championships. The United States has won just two medals in canoeing both in 1964 and even with the Eastern bloc boycott. 1984 looks like another year up the creek without a paddle for America CYCLING The last American medal in cycling came in 1912. This year the drought should come to an end. The American team has been bolstered by an intense three-year development program, an increase in international competition and the Soviet -led boycott.

DIVING Greg Louganis. a silver medalist in platform diving in 1976, gives the American men's team an excellent chance of taking the gold in both springboard and platform. Louganis, the current world champion, and Bruce Kimball are the mainstays of the men's team, while Megan Neyer is the top hope on the women's side. EQUESTRIAN Although West Germany is considered the world power in equestrian competition, the United States is given a good chance at gold medals in both team and individual competition in jumping and the three-day event. The United States took the team gold in the three-day in 1976.

FENCING Even with the absence of powers Poland. Hungary', East Germany, Bulgaria and the Soviet Union, the United States' chances at their first fencing medal since 1960 are slim. FIELD HOCKEY The United States has never won a game in Olympic field hockey competition, but the men did win a bronze medal in 1932 when just three nations were entered. The outlook for the men doesn't improve in 1984 as India and Pakistan should dominate play, but the American women, who will be participating in the Olympics for the first time, are seeded fourth. GYMNASTICS Gymnastics, although a glamour event in Olympic competition, has not been a success for the United States.

Since 1932, the United States has won one medal in men's competition a bronze in floor exercises in 1976 and one in women's competition a team bronze in 1948. Japan and China should dominate the men's medal count without the Soviet Union and East Germany, while Romania should rule the women's competition. HANDBALL Another sport where American medal chances increased greatly with the Soviet-led boycott. The Soviet Union men won the gold medal in both 1976 and 1980. Yugoslavia and Poland were considered threats to Soviet dominance, so the Olympic field is wide open.

JUDO The 1984 U.S. Olympic judo team is considered our strongest ever and many observers feel this team could match the two medals won in 20 years of competition. MODERN PENTATHLON With the absence of the Eastern bloc nations, U.S. chances for a medal improved greatly in the modern pentathlon. Soviet athletes took the first three places in the 1983 World Championships and won the team title, followed by Hungary and France.

ROWING After winning just two medals in rowing in 1976, the United States is looking Tor success in 1984. The U.S. men's eight and four without coxswain both set course records in the prestigious Lucerne International Regatta. SHOOTING Having won two gold medals in 1976, the U.S. is looking for a good medal harvest in 1984, especially with the absence of the Soviets.

SOCCER The United States has never won a medal in Olympic soccer competition and has won just one game, a 2-1 victory over Estonia in 1924. The U.S. this year will have a number of players from the North American Soccer League, but medal chances are very slim. SWIMMING One of the sports the United States has seemingly dominated in Olympic competition, swimming should again be a harvest of medals in both the men's and women's competition. Having set three world and five American records in the Olympic trials, the Americans look for big things from the teams.

John Moffet (100-meter breaststroke), Pablo Morales (100 butterfly) and Rick Carey (200 backstroke) were the world-record setters at the Trials and all three will be the favorites at Los Angeles. Double American-record setter George DiCarlo's medal chances improved in both the 400- and freestyle with the absence of Vladimir Salnikov of the Soviet Union. Individual medley star Tracy Caulkins, the only swimmer to qualify for three events at the Trials, will lead the women's team, which should shine without the East German women in attendance. Jill Sterkel is now the favorite in the 100-meter freestyle and Mary Meagher is favored in the 100- and 200-meter butterfly. SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING This will be the first year of Olympic competition for synchronized swimming.

The duet of Candie Costie and Tracie Ruiz are the highest-ranked team in the world and are considered the ones to beat for the gold. TRACK AND FIELD The track and field competition could be subtitled: "Carl Lewis in Pursuit of Jesse Owens." Lewis will try to become the first man since Owens in 1936 to win four gold medals in one Olympic track and field competition. Lewis is considered the heavy favorite in the 100 and 200 meters and the long jump. He also will run in the 400-meter relay. Edwin Moses is expected to continue his nearly seven-year-long winning streak in the 400-meter hurdles.

Dwight Stones in the high jump, Mike Tully in the pole vault, Greg Foster in the 110-meter hurdles and Alberto Salazar in the marathon are also considered excellent choices for the gold in their events. On the women's team, middle-distance runner Mary Decker, sprinters Evelyn Ashford, Chandra Cheeseborough and-marathoner Joan Benoit are solid gold-medal prospects. VOLLEYBALL The United States has never won a medal in Olympic volleyball, which began in 1964. Dominated by Eastern bloc countries since its inception, volleyball should be a wide open sport in 1984. WATER POLO The United States finished sixth in the 1982 World Championships and of the teams that finished ahead of them only West Germany and the Netherlands will be in Los Angeles.

WEIGHTLIFTING The top four countries in weightlifting Soviet Union, Bulgaria, East Germany and Poland will not be in Los Angeles, so American chances are brighter, although no! American completed his lifts in the 1983 World Championships. WRESTLING The United States has never won a medal in Greco-Roman wrestling, but is the most successful team in freestyling history, having won 74 medals to the Soviet Union's 46. With the absence of the Soviet Union and Bulgaria, the United States and Finland are considered the top freestyle teams. I YACHTING Although the America's Cup competition might give thet impression the United States and Australia have dominated yachting, that's not the cake in the Olympics. New Zealand and West Germany are expected to give the United States the most competition in the waters off Long Beach.

By D. BYRON YAKE AP Sports Editor LOS ANGELES (AP) The Summer Olympics, embroiled again in politics and red tape, yet enduring with a most simple, human spirit the will to compete, to strive to be the best open in Los Angeles July 28. The Games begin officially when President Reagan offers 17 words: "I declare open the Games of Los Angeles celebrating the XXIIIrd Olympiad of the modern era." Trumpets will sound. Choirs will sing. Bands will march.

Dancers will dance. Athletes, thousands of them, will parade. Joy will reign. Promises David Wolper, architect of the formal kickoff and close to these free-enterprise Games: "All opening ceremonies give you 10 goose bumps. I'm taking that 10 and adding 10 more.

That's the kind of emotion you'll get. "You're gonna feel good. You're gonna stand up. You're gonna feel at one with everybody in the stadium. In fact.

I'm gonna make you feel at one with the world, through the magic of satellite and a giant TV screen. "Now I have you in the mood. Athletes will march in, the torch will be lit. You're emotionally set to be wooed and we have an ending to do it." Wolper won't reveal his blockbuster ending, but he will need it to help erase some of the turmoil these Games already have brought and are expected to bring. For perhaps more questions surround the Summer Games this year than ever before, from whether Carl Lewis can match Jesse Owens' four-gold-medal feat and the U.S.

men's basketball team prove it is the greatest ever, to whether there will be another Olympics. Sheilds, Costello Bout Set KINGSTON, Y. (AP) Challenging a newly crowned boxing champion in his hometown at a neighborhood center could unnerve some fighters, but not Ronnie Shields. Shields, who will be fighting Billy Costello, the World Boxing Council Super Lightweight champion Sunday, said he's being treated surprisingly well by the partisan folks of this upstate city, 90 miles from New York City. "I didn't really expect everyone to act this way.

People are coming up and wishing me luck and saying they'll be rooting for me. It's been real nice," the 26-year-old boxer from Houston said. Shields, 20-2 with 15 knockouts and rated the No. 1 contender to Costello's title, said, "I've been thinking maybe Billy won't have everyone in the place on his side Sunday." But for Costello, who won the WBC crown on January 29th by stopping Bruce Curry in the 10th round, the crowd in the Midtown Neighborhood Center is of little concern. Costello, 27-0 with 18 knockouts, said he'll be thinking only about "the guy in the ring" who he decribed as "about the best" he's faced.

"All fights are a challenge. I won't let it bother me. I'll take care of business." In keeping his promise to make his first title defense in his hometown, Costello said he doesn't think he's put any extra pressure on himself. "There's always pressure," he said. "I'm always a little nervous." Both fighters, who broke camp Friday night, were pleased with their preparations for the fight.

Costello, who trained for the first time as a champion, said, "Maybe I've trained a little harder. I'll know in 24 hours." The fight, scheduled to start at 4 p.m., will be televised by CBS with Tim Ryan and Sugar Ray Leonard providing the commentary. Weigh-in for the boxers, who must be 140 pounds or less, will be 7 a.m. Sunday. Shields said he hopes to box the whole fight using his persistent left jab and quick hand speed to wear Costello down.

"But if I have to slug it out with him, I will. I don't want to, but I will," Shields said. Costello, who is a strong puncher with a potent left hook, is anticipating the jabs and combinations, but said, "I'll be ready for whatever comes." Shields enjoys a 3-inch advantage in reach, 72 inches to Costello's 69 inches, and the challenger is also an inch taller. The only common opponent the two have faced is Curry, who Costello won the title from. Shields lost to Curry in a 12-round decision Nov.

17, 1982. Six other fights are scheduled on Sunday's undercard, but only two are 10-rounders. One pits undefeated New York City heavyweight Mitchell "Blood" Green, ranked 11th, against Young Playboy Lewis of Scranton, Pa. The other 10-rounder is a Super Lightweight bout between Saoul Mamby of New York City, a former North American Federation title holder, and, Kevin Austin of STAN SMITH'S TENNIS CLASS RETURN IN PRRCTtCE SeSStONSx fcE SURE TO WOtVW ON RE.TURN3 UHILE YOUR PARTNER IS VMOKK1NG ON SE.RVES. fltSO.

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