IN BRIEF : Comeback by Zola Budd Hinges on Acting Like ‘Normal British Athlete’

Zola Budd, a target of anti-apartheid demonstrators, would have to pledge to “live the life of a normal British athlete” before being allowed to run again in international competition, the sport’s national governing body said today.

Budd, who contacted the British Amateur Athletics Board about a possible comeback, was told she would have to stop splitting her time between her adopted country and her native South Africa, board spokesman Tony Ward said.

Anti-apartheid groups have argued that Budd’s British passport, issued hurriedly in 1984, was one of convenience, allowing her to dodge rules barring South Africans from competing internationally. Last May, Budd said she was quitting track after the British athletics board said it was investigating her eligibility.