Kukoc Breaks Thumb, but Plans to Play On

Chicago Bull forward Toni Kukoc, a key to Croatia’s basketball medal hopes in the Olympics, broke his left thumb in an exhibition game against Canada on Tuesday night in Hamilton, Ontario.

Kukoc, injured midway through the first half of Croatia’s 82-72 victory, is expected to play in the Olympics, Croat Cach Petar Skansi said.

“Maybe we can put something on it,” said Skansi, adding the break was between the knuckle and the tip of the thumb.

Kukoc also was optimistic about playing in Atlanta.

“It’s OK, I’m fine,” said Kukoc, the NBA’s sixth man award winner last season after averaging 13.1 points, 3.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds.

Kukoc scored six points in nine minutes. Toronto Raptor forward Zan Tabak was nine for nine from the field and led Croatia with 23 points.

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A construction worker died and another was injured Tuesday at Atlanta after copper tubing they were handling touched a power line on the roof of a building under renovation for use during the Olympics.

Scott Dawson, 30, died at Grady Memorial Hospital on Tuesday morning, said Fulton County Medical Examiner spokesman Randy Haynie. Emory Brown, 52, of Atlanta was in stable condition at Grady’s burn unit Tuesday afternoon, hospital officials said.

OSHA and city officials were investigating the accident.

The electrocution is the latest in a series of accidents at pre-Olympic construction projects, including one last year in which a light tower at the Olympic Stadium collapsed, killing a construction worker and injuring another.

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A woman accused of taking more than $1 million from reporters to house them during the Olympics was jailed on theft charges after they said she reneged on the deal.

Meanwhile, dozens of reporters from several news agencies, including The Los Angeles Times, are in a race to find rooms before the July 19 opening ceremonies.

After a hearing in Atlanta Municipal Court, Meggen Mills, 33, of Dallas, was jailed on $100,000 bond. She was arrested Monday night on seven counts of theft by deception after the reporters confronted her at Mayfair Apartments in Atlanta, demanding their money back.

Housing is extremely tight in Atlanta as the Olympics approach. Most hotels and many apartments were booked a year ago for the games. News agencies that had booked rooms with Mills estimated their losses at $1 million.

“She broke us,” said Michelle Naili, executive producer of TV Globo of Brazil. “My company trusted me to make all the accommodations and now I’m broke.”

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Members of Greece’s basketball team were disruptive when they refused to stop smoking on a flight from Athens to New York and had to promise to behave before boarding a flight to Atlanta.

Delta Airlines spokesman Dean Breest said the players, on Flight 133, landed at Kennedy Airport about 3:50 p.m. Tuesday.

He described the athletes’ behavior as “disruptive to fellow passengers” and said they “refused crew instruction to refrain from smoking.” But Breest said crew members “received assurances from the coach there would be no additional problems” and there were not.

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An American will coach the Russian sailing team at the Olympics.

Joe Waters of Columbia was accredited by the Russians in April and will serve as technical adviser-troubleshooter after helping the team train at Lake Murray the past three years.

“It is the first time in the history of the Soviet Union that they have accredited a non-Russian person,” Waters said. “I’m very excited. It’s going to be a thrill.”

The 41-year-old Waters has sailed on Lake Murray since 1962 and won 15 national sailing championships. One of his proudest moments will come July 20 when he marches in the opening ceremonies with the Russian team at Savannah, Ga., site of Olympic sailing events. The first race is July 25.

Waters’ duties already have started. The Russians’ sail craft arrived in Atlanta on Monday, and Waters arranged to have it brought to Columbia so the team could train this week at Lake Murray.

Even the sails Waters designed made an impact on the sailors. Burmatnor brought some back to Russia to sell.

“I’ve got Russian brothers and sisters now,” Waters said. “This world is getting smaller.”

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A Polish newspaper reported that mountain biker Dariusz Gil will not compete in the Atlanta Games because his bike was stolen during a practice break in Warsaw.

Gil, one of three cyclists on Poland’s Olympic team, got off his bike to talk to another cyclist in the southwestern town of Karpacz last Friday. A few minutes later, the bike was stolen, according to the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza.

The newspaper also reported that the thief demanded a $2,600 ransom for the bike in a telephone call, but Gil’s coach, Jan Mela said, “We have too little time to order a new bike. Besides, we do not have money.”