THE SIDELINES : OK Expected for Lewis in Paris Meet

NEW YORK —  A spokesman for the governing body of U.S. track and field said today that he sees no problem with Carl Lewis and his club teammates going ahead with an attempt to break the world 4x200 meters relay record at the St. Denis athletics meet in Paris on Friday.

Spokesman Pete Cava said The Athletics Congress had received a telex from organizers of the French meet inquiring about clearance for Lewis and his Santa Monica Track Club teammates to compete in the meet.

Cava, in a telephone interview from congress headquarters in Indianapolis, said the telex was being reviewed by Ollan Cassell, executive director of the congress, “but I don’t see any problem.”

Lewis, the Olympic 100 meters and long jump winner, and his teammates had been barred by The Athletics Congress from competing in this weekend’s four-nation meeting in Birmingham, England, but the circumstances were different there, Cava said. “We did not want non-national team members running a relay in a meet for national team members,” he said.