Drug Testing Limited at U.S. Sports Festival

The United States Olympic Committee’s drug-testing program lost much of its bite when it was announced that there will be no tests for competitors in the three most visible sports in the National Sports Festival at Baton Rouge, La.--track and field, boxing and basketball--because the federations in those sports have not given their approval.

Committee officials said they would test in other sports at the festival, which officially opens today. Some 350 athletes will be picked at random for tests over the next 10 days. The U.S. Yacht Racing Union has also asked for a waiver, because many of its sailors have never been included in previous drug testing.

In Thursday night competition, Greg Louganis earned his sixth festival diving gold medal, taking the lead on his fifth dive and stretching it out for a 51-point victory over runner-up Ron Meyer in the three-meter springboard event with 693.15 points. Michele Mitchell easily won the women’s springboard event, scoring 525.78 points.

Offensive lineman Gary Zimmerman of the Express filed a $30-million federal suit in Washington, seeking to invalidate the NFL’s supplemental draft of players from the USFL.

Zimmerman, a two-time all-USFL player, was chosen by the New York Giants in the supplemental draft last year. Zimmerman charges the NFL, its management council, the players’ association and the league’s 28 teams with violation of the antitrust laws.

The University of Florida, which threatened to pull out of the Southeastern Conference after being stripped of the 1984 SEC football title, will remain in the 10-school league. University President Marshall Criser said he made the decision because withdrawal would have been interpreted as an angry reaction to losing the football championship and because there could be “premature speculation” about the possible outcome of a study the university is conducting.

Bill Elliott, in a Ford, continued to dominate NASCAR Winston Cup stock car racing as he won the pole position for Sunday’s Talladega 500 at 207.578 m.p.h.

The Cuban national baseball team, which has not played in the United States since 1960, is top-seeded in a nine-day U.S. Open Amateur tournament that begins Saturday night at Palm Springs. Cuba’s first game is Sunday against the San Diego Stars.

Taiwan, seeded second, will meet the Orange County A’s, and Australia will face the San Bernardino Pioneers Saturday. On Sunday, Korea will play the Ventura Royals.

Names in the News

Jack Nicklaus II, winner of the North and South Amateur, has accepted an invitation to play in the Pacific Coast Amateur golf tournament Aug. 6-9 at the Los Angeles Country Club.

Lee Roy Selmon, veteran defensive end of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was put on the injured reserve list. He has a herniated disk in his lower back that could end his NFL career.

Atlanta quarterback Steve Bartkowski reached agreement on a two-year contract with the Falcons for a reported $625,000 a season.

Donald C. (Chet) Grant, who played quarterback for Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne and still holds the school record for the longest punt return--95 yards in 1916--has died at 93.