OLYMPIC REPORT / 27 DAYS TO THE GAMES : Boxer Reid Can Compete Despite Arrest

David Reid will remain on the U.S. Olympic boxing team despite his arrest on battery and domestic violence charges, officials said.

A five-member panel from USA Boxing met for 40 minutes and questioned Reid before deciding he could stay on the squad and compete in Atlanta. Reid, a 156-pounder, was arrested Wednesday after an incident with his girlfriend at an Orlando-area motel. He was released on $350 bond.

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Sinjin Smith and Carl Henkel defeated Argentina’s Jose Luis Salema Abrantes and Mariano Baracetti, 15-7, in their opening match in the beach volleyball world championship-series event at Hermosa Beach.

The top-ranked Olympic pair also defeated the Dutch Olympic duo of Michel Everaert and Sander Mulder, watching a three-point lead dissolve into a 14-14 tie before winning, 16-14.

All eight U.S. teams remained alive in the women’s competition, including Olympians Nancy Reno and Holly McPeak, and Barbra Fontana Harris and Linda Hanley, who easily won two matches each to advance to the quarterfinals. The other Olympic team, Gail Castro and Deb Richardson, lost their opening match to Americans Karolyn Kirby and Lisa Arce, 15-11, but remained alive in the losers’ bracket.

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The U.S. water polo team tied Australia, 7-7, on Thursday in the first day of competition at the Men’s International Tournament at Rome. Jeremy Laster led the United States with three goals and Chi Kredell added two. Chris Oeding and Troy Barnhart also scored. U.S. goalie Dan Hackett had three saves.

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Olympic runner Edvin Wide, one of the few men to defeat Finnish star Paavo Nurmi, died Wednesday. Wide was 100. He won medals in three Olympics and set three world records in the 1920s. He also was the 1929 U.S. indoor two-mile champion.