WORLD SPORTS SCENE : Walker Favored to Succeed Hybl on USOC

Stabilized under the guidance of President William Hybl after a turbulent final few months of 1991, the U.S. Olympic Committee appears to be looking for the same low-key, conservative leadership in the immediate future.

Word from San Antonio, where the USOC’s board of directors met during the weekend, is that the early favorite to succeed Hybl in the Oct. 11 election of officers is USOC treasurer LeRoy Walker.

If chosen for the four-year term, Walker, 73, would be the USOC’s first black president. But whereas that might be long overdue, especially considering the number of minority athletes who have represented the USOC over the years, it would not be a factor in Walker’s election.

Formerly chancellor at North Carolina Central University and president of the national governing body for track and field, The Athletics Congress, his credentials transcend discussions of race.

If his stewardship of TAC is an indication, he would be an intelligent, pragmatic president who is willing to delegate day-to-day operations to the paid staff and allow other volunteers to establish policy. Although that might not always have been a wise approach at TAC, it is, as evidenced by Hybl’s presidency, the most efficient way for the USOC to conduct its business.

As for Hybl, when he was elected to the position on Sept. 28 in the aftermath of Robert Helmick’s resignation because of conflict-of-interest allegations, he accepted the USOC’s provision that he would not become a candidate this year for a full term.

The board of directors has been so pleased with his performance that it has been speculated he might be drafted to run for re-election. But although that could still happen, Hybl reiterated at San Antonio that he plans to step aside in October.

One potential obstacle for Walker could be his current position as senior vice president for sports with the organizing committee for the 1996 Summer Olympics at Atlanta. He will meet with other officials from the organizing committee and the USOC to determine whether there would be a conflict.

A little more than a year ago, while George Steinbrenner was suspended from his position as one of three USOC vice presidents until he could untangle himself from problems with gambler Howard Spira and major league baseball, there were long odds on his chances of being elected to another four-year term.

But Steinbrenner is so appreciated for his continuing, mostly selfless efforts on behalf of the Olympic movement that it now would be an upset if the 10-member nominating committee that was formed at San Antonio to identify candidates for the six officer positions did not add him to the slate.

Michael Lenard, an L.A. lawyer and former team handball player, also is expected to remain a vice president. Highly respected within the USOC, he probably would be a candidate for the presidency were it not for his relatively young age, 36.

A strong candidate for the other vice presidency might be Sandra Baldwin, an executive committee member who represents U.S. Swimming. The USOC was extremely embarrassed by the criticism it received because there was not a woman among the six officers elected in 1989.

Another committee, chaired by NCAA executive director Dick Schultz, was formed at San Antonio to identify candidates for the International Olympic Committee position vacated by Helmick.

The USOC will send a list by the end of June to the IOC, which will elect a new member during its session at Barcelona, Spain, in July. The IOC is not required to choose a name from the list, or even from the United States, but it is not likely to leave one of its more significant countries with only one representative, Anita DeFrantz of Los Angeles.

Speculation has focused on a number of possibilities, including Hybl, International Archery Federation President Jim Easton of Los Angeles, International Softball Federation President Don Porter of Oklahoma City, former United Nations ambassador Andrew Young, USOC Executive Director Harvey Schiller of Colorado Springs, former USOC president William Simon of Morristown, N.J., and hurdler Edwin Moses of Newport Beach.

A candidate who has recently surfaced is Larry Huff, a former USOC treasurer and member of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee’s board of directors.

Notes

Rep. Guy Vander Jagt (R-Mich.) is sponsoring legislation that will allow taxpayers to donate $1 to the U.S. Olympic Committee through a check-off system when filing their federal income tax returns. The revenues would be geared toward preparing the U.S. team for the 1996 Summer Olympics at Atlanta. . . . Congress also will hold hearings this spring on a coin bill for 1995 and 1996 that would raise money for the USOC and the Atlanta Committee to Organize the Games. The coin program for the 1992 Summer Olympics already has produced $6.3 million for the USOC.

Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson will receive the Olympic flag during a six-minute presentation at the closing ceremony in Barcelona. The flag will arrive in Savannah, Ga., via a tall ship, the U.S. Eagle, and will be displayed throughout the state on a train tour before a Sept. 18 ceremony in Atlanta’s new Georgia Dome. A capacity crowd of 70,000 is expected to attend. . . . The 1992 U.S. Winter Olympic team has been invited to a meeting with President Bush in the Rose Garden on April 8. The team will attend a luncheon sponsored by Congress earlier that day.

Proceeding with plans to bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City has completed construction of its 70-meter ski jump. International competition is scheduled there March 21. . . . For the four years between the Summer Games in Barcelona and Atlanta, the USOC is figuring on a budget of $399.1 million, almost $100 million more than the budget for the years between the 1988 and 1992 Summer Games.

The U.S. soccer team will play the Spanish national team Wednesday at Villadolid, Spain, then play Morocco at Casablanca a week later. The next home game for the United States will be April 4 at Palo Alto against China. . . . The U.S. under-23 soccer team, which will try to qualify this spring for the 1992 Summer Olympics, will continue its preparation in a tournament March 17-19 at the Coliseum with the national team of El Salvador and the Olympic teams of South Korea and Honduras. . . . Women’s soccer has been added to the program for the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival at San Antonio.

French figure skater Surya Bonaly has a new coach, Andre Brunet, and will compete in the World Championships this month at Oakland. The French dance team of Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay also has decided to compete after considering withdrawing after a disappointing second-place performance in the Winter Olympics.