Samaranch rallies for change

Olympic Games: Beleaguered International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Juan Antonio Samaranch warned IOC members yesterday to support the sweeping changes to modernise the organisation that will be voted on this weekend.

The 79-year-old former diplomat said the members had a chance to make history when the special IOC Session opens on Saturday.

"The vote this weekend is a historical opportunity for the IOC members to transform the IOC into the modern organisation the Olympic movement deserves," said Samaranch.

To underline the importance he has sent a letter to every IOC member calling on their support

But Samaranch admitted that he was not sure he would get the support of the membership to put through the nearly 50 reforms which include a ban on visits to bidding cities, a maximum 70-year-old-age limit on members and an end to jobs for life by having re-elections every eight years.

As the first of the members arrived in Lausanne they were greeted by a front page article in the Wall Street Journal bringing up Samaranch's already revealed past as a member of the Spanish Facist Party during General Franco's reign.

Quizzed about the report, Samaranch dismissed it, saying that all the awards heaped on him in Spain all came after the end of Franco.

"As I have said before, to understand what happened 40 years ago you have to be Spanish," said Samaranch.

The paper also hinted that Samaranch might resign this week but the IOC President insisted he would appear next week before the US Congressional hearing investigating the Salt Lake City bribes-for-votes scandal.

Boxing: Mike Tyson is involved in a tug-of-war between two of Britain's premier promoters.

Frank Maloney is rivalling Frank Warren in the bid to stage Tyson's proposed British debut.

Warren has a date of January 29th booked for Manchester's MEN Arena, while Maloney wants to feature Tyson at the Wembley Arena on the 22nd.

Whatever the date or venue, Maloney's British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Julius Francis is the probable opponent.

While Maloney manages Francis, Warren has the vital link with American cable network Showtime who screen Tyson's fights, and that must make him favourite to win the day.

Maloney, meanwhile, is waiting for a fight contract to guarantee Francis the biggest pay day of a career which has blossomed of late.

Golf: Australian doctors have condemned a golf tournament sponsor offering a penis enlargement for the longest drive.

Health authorities have also hit out at the organisers after they offered a breast enhancement to the champion woman player.

Already more than 120 people have entered the tournament at Queensland's Sanctuary Cove which is being organised by cosmetic surgery firm Clinical Beauty.

Professor Donald Marshall from the Royal College of Australian Surgeons told Australian radio yesterday that the competition trivialised cosmetic surgery.

He said consumers needed to remember that even cosmetic surgery had real risks and the potential for complications.

Queensland government ministers have already instructed the State's Office of Gaming Regulation to add cosmetic surgery procedures to the list of banned prizes for lotteries, raffles and trade promotions.

Squash: Australian David Palmer knocked Irish squash champion Derek Ryan out of the British Open in Aberdeen last night, winning their first round match in four sets.

Ryan, hampered by an ankle injury he picked up in a match in the United States last Thursday, fought back to level at 1-1 after losing the opening game but Palmer restored his lead by winning a close third game and clinched his place in the second round by taking the fourth. The defeat was Ryan's fourth first round exit in a tournament in the last month, a costly run of form that has seen him drop from a career high world ranking of seven in July to 16 in the December list, one place below the inform Palmer who has reached the finals of six tournaments this year.

Sailing: The once all-conquering Italian Prada Challenge syndicate was yesterday knocked off its top perch in yachting's Americas Cup challenge series.

Using their second Luna Rossa boat ITA-48, the Italians have not managed a win recently but the big blow came yesterday when the Nippon Challenge from Japan caused a sensation.

They too are in a new boat, Idaten, which has not lost a race in round robin three, the last round robin before the semi-finals early in the new year.

Idaten defeated Luna Rossa by three minutes 13 seconds, a hefty delta at this level of racing. Just after it crossed the finishing line Idaten's spinnaker pole broke.

AmericaOne, from the St Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, scored an easy win over the Spanish Challenge, defeating them by 11 minutes, 50 seconds.