The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina • 6

STATE EDITION Sports NFL THE NEWS OBSERVER TUESDAY JULY 28 1998 6c SOCCER I Norway captures bronze st 4 17 i 5 11 441 c1 i 714 7- 7414:1 1 II 14 41 -dm- 1-- ir 1 I fl 0)- 1: 01574ti4- '2 1 I i 1 I i I 1 s' -k 1 I I moo- 'i 1 1 i ow- -t i 4 er 1 Aloof 3 3 17 1 ihol 147 4 Jip 4' 1 4404' 7' roi 4 i6No- 1 I 430p' 3 i sx lit Jo a le11 if r-- c44 i- teerif kf 01 li ti 'jue00 4-) (1 4 f4 4 PAS 4 41 RI) i 4 1 4 ----( -of' Trainers examine offensive tackle Todd Stewart after he suffered a broken right ankle during a field-goal drill on Monday THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Panthers tackle breaks an ankle Sang Shisheng left and Chen Xiufeng right parents of injured Chinese gymnast Sang Lang answer media questions Monday THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Chinese gymnast's diagnosis unchanged Jacksonville at Ericsson Stadium "Our hope is that every day he'll feel a little better feel a little bit more comfortable out there" Capers said "It's one thing to go out and run straight ahead but it's totally different when you have to pivot come backwards accept the shock that comes along with playing an offensive line So hopefully we'll see progress" PETERING OUT: It appears things might be turning ugly in the Panthers' negotiations with first-round draft pick Jason Peter and it doesn't seem likely he will be in camp in the immediate future The Panthers made a proposal Saturday and finally heard from agent Ralph Cindrich Monday afternoon "I responded to the proposal" Cindrich said "I'm sure they'll be in touch very soon" The offer was believed to include a signing bonus of about $36 million the same given to linebacker Takeo Spikes who was drafted just ahead of Peter at No 13 by Cincinnati It also is the same as the No 15 pick linebacker Anthony Simmons signed by the Seattle Seahawks NOTEBOOK: Halfback Tshimanga Biakabutuka the 1996 first-round draft pick is off to an impressive start "I think Tshimanga jumped in there and has looked the best to me that I've seen him look since he injured his knee during the 1996 season" Capers said "I think he's the healthiest I think he's got the most confidence in his knee" But Bialcabutulca remains the backup to Fred Lane who is having a strong training camp as well Defensive linemen Mitch Marrow (back spasms) and Les Miller (strained knee) returned to Charlotte Monday to have tests performed Marrow's availability is uncertain Miller is expected back in a week or two Linebacker Kinnon Tatum pulled a hamstring in Monday's evening practice Viv Bernstein can be reached at (704) 521-9832 or vbernstenandocom BY VW BERNSTEIN STAFF WRITER SPARTANBURG SC The Carolina Panthers' offensive line is thinning by the day Three days into training camp practices and NOTEBOOK they're already down three ot)i linemen A The lastest and -j most serious injury came in the final minutes of practice Monday morning when tackle Todd Stewart suffered a broken right ankle He had surgery later in the day Stewart a backup was blocking on field-goal drills when a player rolled over the ankle Coach Dom Capers said he could be out two to three months Meanwhile Blake Brockermeyer continues to be limited because of offseason knee surgery And guard Corbin Lacina has a thigh bruise That's three out of 13 linemen already down "Obviously when you come in with 13 you'd like to have more healthy than 10" Capers said "The thing about it is Corbin should be back within a day or two I think and that will give us II Hopefully Blake continues to progress We'll have to go in and just kind of evaluate where we are" Capers said Sunday he wasn't in the market for another offensive lineman He hedged on that Monday "We'll have to see" Capers said "You just don't know I'm not sure exactly what's out there" But word has it the Panthers are looking around to see who might be available if necessary Meanwhile no one is certain when Brockermeyer will be back He had arthroscopic surgery on both knees in the offseason and likely won't fully participate in practice in the next week or two Capers already has ruled out using Brockermeyer in the first exhibition game Aug 8 against 011111e) 0 United States on Sunday the parents thanked from the bottom of their hearts the American and Chinese people for their assistance and support They said they were proud of their daughter "When we first saw her my wife started to cry and then I couldn't hold back the tears any longer and I cried too" said Sang Shisheng her father "But she was so brave She said 'Mother Father don't cry Don't worry about me because the doctors are so good and I have confidence I will recover'" CUBAN CYCLIST MISSING: A Cuban cyclist was missing from his team as it returned home from the Goodwill Games on Monday Officials said the case had been turned over to law-enforcement agencies Ivan Dominguez 22 from Playa Cuba was last seen when he left his hotel room on Staten Island around 7 pm Sunday night "and has not been seen since" a statement from the games' organizers said "No contact has been made with the Goodwill Games" the statement said "This is now a matter for law-enforcement agencies to handle Should he surface the appropriate authorities will assume jurisdiction" An official with the Cuban delegation confirmed that Dominguez had left the team CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1C of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney Australia She's planning on going because women's soccer is on the move and Foudy believes there is no turning back "There's so much that can be accomplished by women in this sport" she said If out of the next World Cup comes a US women's pro league that would be splendid but when Foudy speaks of "impact" she is not necessarily talking about an expanding job market Having toured the world with the US team since she was 17 she knows that gender equity is a soccer concept that doesn't play beyond our suburban grass roots Women's soccer is the establishment turned upside down Americans colonizing the Old World with revolutionary feminist ideas "Everyone plays soccer here" Foudy said "Girls are encouraged But you travel abroad and the game is considered a man's world in so many cultures A girl is considered a freak if she plays We've been in Spain and jumped into a men's game and been looked at like we were crazy Places in Europe Africa they're so far behind" "Five years ago the Brazil women got no funding and we beat them routinely Now they're competitive It's not just for opportunities in soccer It's what we can do for girls everywhere with the World Cup" She has earned the right building something of a track record to express her transcendent point of view In March of last year on her way home from a tournament in Australia Foudy took a detour deep into Pakistan She wanted to see for herself how Reebok the company she had contractually agreed to represent treated the people making its soccer balls To better monitor child labor Foudy spoke with village families to workers in the factory Reebok built She found out they were earning about $225 a day plus benefits that while conditions might have been better there are many places where they are much much worse At least she took the time to do what Michael Jordan and countless others have not She went ahead and told people that she believed it was all right to buy the balls then got back to the business of selling her sport League or no league there is no pot of gold at the end of the soccer rainbow for the US women precedent-setters for Foudy and the goal scorers Mia Hamm and Michelle Akers They made a world power out of a country whose men made it a soccer laughingstock There is a moral in there somewhere A legacy When Reebok last year named a soccer shoe for Foudy that's what they called it The Foudy Legacy pointed responses of support and criticism Monday Steve Ovett of Britain the 1980 Olympic champion at 800 meters said it appeared that Samaranch was ready to "throw in the towel" on drug testing Others such as Jaques Rogge of Belgium a surgeon who is vice president of the IOC medical commission said it was difficult if not impossible to differentiate between substances that are harmful to an athlete's health and those that are not US Olympic Committee executive director Dick Schultz noted Samaranch's strong anti-drug stance and wondered whether he had been accurately quoted The IOC issued a statement seeking to clarify Samaranch's remarks It said that he sought a "a clear definition of doping" at the 1999 world conference and that he had been referring to codeine which has been removed from the banned list "The fight against doping must continue in a spirit of heightened unity" the IOC statement said "The IOC president noted that the IOC's determination was greater than ever" But a sense of frustration has grown in international circles over the inability to develop tests for such substances as EPO a synthetic hormone that increases aerobic capacity and is at the center of the Tour de France scandal and human growth hormone which has steroid-like qualities "There is a morass out there that needs to be reviewed to determine what is performance-enhancing and what is not" Schultz said He added: "I don't think there's any question that the drug gurus who are trying to beat the system are ahead of the police" FROM WIRE REPORTS Bente Nordby saved a penalty kick as women's soccer world champion Norway beat Denmark 4-2 in a shootout Monday night to win the bronze medal at the Goodwill Games The United States 1996 Olympic -1 women's soccer )'- champion i ti ifi faced China in the gold-medal match Norway and Denmark tied 1-1 in regulation Unni Lehn gave Norway the lead in the 20th minute but Anne Nielsen tied the score in the 82nd minute Denmark outshot Norway 6-3 but Nordby made five saves In the shootout Nordby knocked away Denmark's first shot by Nielsen and Norway clinched the bronze medal when Louise Hansen's shot hit the right post Norway's Hege Russe Linda Medalen Pettersen and Henriette Viker all scored on goalie Dorthe Larsen in the shootout Gitte Krogh and Janne Rasmussen converted for Denmark On a relatively light day of action boxing began and an American scored a quick upset Bantamweight Antonio Rodriguez of Waianae Hawaii outpointed world championship bronze medalist Soner Karaaoz of Turkey 9-1 in the quarterfinals Meanwhile DaVarryl Williamson a heavyweight from Aurora Colo won when the referee stopped his bout with Italy's Giocahino Mocerino at 1:19 of the first round after Williamson landed a pair of big rights to the head "I though I hurt him with the first right" Williamson said "The coaches wanted me to stay behind the jab I did that and caught him with the next right I don't think I looked that good But I did throw a lot of punches" Williamson is one of three Americans in the heavyweight group which also includes four-time world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Felix Savon of Cuba Williamson knows it will be a tough battle to get to Friday's final "I turn 30 Saturday so for a birthday present I was hoping for a good bracket" he said "I'll tell you all if I got it on Saturday" Other American winners included lightweight Jacob Hudson over Kwon Kee-duk of South Korea and welterweight Miguel Espino over Neil Gough of Ireland World championship runner-up Jean-Paul Mendy of France stopped Randy Griffin of Philadelphia at 1:59 of the second round of their middleweight bout RACE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 high catch fence into the crowd That 15-foot clearance is common at tracks throughout the world and making the fence higher might not be the answer During the 1987 Indianapolis 500 a tire came off one car and was struck by another sending it soaring It hit a man in the top row of an 80-foot-high grandstand killing him instantly On NASCAR's Winston Cup circuit stock cars sometimes spray parts and pieces into the stands during particularly violent crashes Mike Helton NASCAR's vice president for competition said safety was the top issue for all racing circuits "whether it's the drivers other participants spectators whoever" "Obviously it's not possible to cover every scenario that can cause tragedies to occur" he said "Every now and then a weird set of circumstances comes together and something like this can happen What you can do is learn from that and make any changes that can keep it from happening again" NASCAR has two Winston Cup races and one Busch Series race on the Michigan track each year and Helton said his circuit is interested in seeing the results of the safety review In 1987 when NASCAR engines were unrestricted and stock car speeds had climbed above 210 mph Bobby Allison's car nearly sailed into the stands on the main straightaway at Talladega (Ala) Superspeedway A 100-foot stretch of safety fencing was sheared away in the accident Amazingly the car bounced back onto Coates pleads innocent to domestic assault FROM WIRE REPORTS The father of the young Chinese gymnast who sustained spinal injuries when she fell head-first during practice said he is confident his daughter will compete again But Sang Lan's doctors on Monday dismissed earlier speculation that the 17-year-old NOTEBOOK had regained feel- yoRk 14r mg her toes Al (471) "There is no change in her neu- rological exam" Dr rdr Brock Schnebel 13 'Adiuk'd head physician of -4-stc1- the Goodwill Games told the AP immediately after discussing treatment options with the parents Schnebel said she is on painkillers but slept well after a full day spent with her family and other visitors "It's hard to shut her up and keep her calm actually" he said of the woman described by her parents as "athletic and courageous" Schnebel said her parents have not decided whether to move her back to China and continue the treatment with the experimental nerve-building drug she is now receiving or to start her rehabilitation in the United States In the first interview with reporters since arriving in the the track The most serious injury was to a woman who lost an eye after being hit by a piece of debris That prompted Talladega officials to rebuild the catch fence around the entire track using stronger cables It also prompted NASCAR to require carburetor restrictor plates on the cars to slow them down at its two fastest speedways at Talladega and Daytona Fla The plates still are required and stock car speeds have remained under 200 mph In the two open-wheel series CART and the Indy Racing League drivers warm up at speeds above 200 Despite efforts to slow the sleek racing machines down both series regularly record laps above 220 mph Although a car from any of the professional series could fly into a grandstand the biggest danger for spectators comes from the way the vehicles come apart when they hit a wall or each other Engineers have found that making the cars basically explode on impact with pieces flying everywhere pulls G-forces away from drivers who are kept safer within a tub or cockpit area But that debris can easily fly into nearby grandstands That's when fans are most at risk First-time spectator David Thompson of Spring Arbor Mich had a too-close-for-comfort view of Sunday's crash His wife Joyce sitting beside him was struck in the leg by the hurtling tire and she was treated at a hospital and released "It will be a while before we go again" he said "But it's one of those freak things It can happen to anyone Once in a while it can happen to you" TRACK CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1C ously was suspended for drug use he faces a potential lifetime ban from competition while Mitchell's career could be suspended for two years Both Mitchell and Barnes were given random out-of-competition drug tests on April I Reineri said He said only the first of two samples called the A and sample since each urine specimen is divided into two parts had been tested for each athlete US law however calls for both samples to be tested and for athletes to be given a hearing before they are suspended "We are outraged that the TAM' knowingly breached our confidentiality rules which were put in place to protect those ultimately determined to be innocent" Craig Masback chief executive officer of the US federation said in a statement The suspensions were announced on the same day that the International Olympic Committee called for a world conference next January to reappraise its campaign against what is believed to be the extensive use of banned performance-enhancing substances Monday's actions followed controversial remarks reportedly made Sunday by International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch who was quoted in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo as calling for "drastically" reducing the number of banned substances He was also quoted as saying that he did not consider it doping if an athlete used a performance-enhancing drug that was not believed to be harmful to that athlete's health Samaranch's remarks elicited FROM WIRE REPORTS Ben Coates returned to practice Monday after pleading innocent to domestic assault and battery in the latest court case involving a woman and a Patriots player The four-time Pro Bowl tight end who attended Livingstone College in Salisbury i 1 NC was freed on $1000 cash bail after allegedly shoving the mother of one of his children to the ground then pushing her head on the hood of her car Sunday night outside his home in Franklin Mass "He threatened to knock me out and I was screaming at him" Jennifer Marshall 27 of Norton Mass told police "He grabbed me and threw me on top of my car" Coates 28 told police she pushed him first and he defended himself Marshall suffered a scrape on her arm and was treated and released at a hospital police said She and Coates have a daughter Destiny Coates and his wife Yvette who spends most of the summer and regular season in North Carolina have three daughters ALLEN BACK: Having served five days in jail for trying to 'outrun police in his Ferrari while drunk Terry Allen showed up at the Redskins training camp sounding intent on a new start That was a mistake that I made Allen a former Clemson player said take full responsibility for what I did I've done my time for that I lived up to what I had to do and its behind me and I'm look ing forward to this year" Allen was arrested in July 1997 about 40 miles east of Atlanta after police said they clocked his Ferrari convertible at 133 mph in a 55 mph zone AFFILIATES HELPING FOX: News Corp's Fox Broadcasting Co said representatives of Fox-affiliated TV stations agreed to pay the network $50 million a year to help offset the cost of its new $45 billion NFL contract Fox affiliates will make payments over the five years of the NFL contract Affiliates had been paying Fox $30 Mil NM a year since 1 993 for the current NFL contract The agreement comes after a similar one was reached by rival CBS and its affiliates in May About $20 million will come from money Fox already owes its affiliates for its half-interest in the Fox Kids Network RAVENS' GUARD OUT: Sale projected to be Baltimore's starting left guard will miss the season with a tom Achilles' tendon who sat out last season with a torn knee ligament and spent his rookie season in 1995 on the injured reserve list with an ankle injury will undergo surgery today DOLPHINS' AVERY HURT: John Avery Miami's first-round draft pick went down with a strained right hamstring Sunday during a scrimmage Coach Jimmy Johnson said the 5- foot-9 scatback didn't tear the hamstring and should return next week The Dolphins signed nine-year pro Michael Timpson to a one-year contract to bolster their wide receiver corps BRIEFLY: A fight broke out between guard Steve Wisniewski and linebacker James Foiston the second in three days at Oakland's training camp It lasted only a few seconds before being broken up Receiver Joe Jureviclus the Giants second-round pick has signed a $14 million threeyear contract.