BITS AND PIECES

At the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, the featured entertainment included the Three Tenors: Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo. Among Sunday’s featured entertainment in Atlanta were the Squirrel Nut Zippers. . . . One of the major sponsors of the Atlanta Games, Anheuser-Busch, presented ACOG President Billy Payne with a special thank-you Sunday: a four-month-old Clydesdale, named Billy, of course. . . . Payne, taking the opportunity to respond to criticism about over-commercialism in the Atlanta Games, said, “What some people describe as over-commercialism is Atlanta partying. And there’s nothing wrong with that.” . . . Among the attendees at Sunday’s U.S.-Cuba women’s basketball game were Chelsea Clinton and Magic Johnson. . . . A recent poll of the media, taken by Northwestern Mutual Life, concluded that synchronized swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, beach volleyball and sailboarding should be dropped from the Games. There also was no sentiment whatsoever for adding bandy, budo, korfball, skeleton cresta or taekwondo. And when they asked the media about ballroom dancing, the overwhelming response was captured in one quote: “Let’s get serious,” said sports editor Don Wojciechowski of the Elgin, Ill., Courier-News. . . . Chris Huffins, U.S. men’s decathlon competitor, says that all anybody needs to do to know about his state of readiness is to look at his shoulder. It is tattooed with five rings and the word DECA. . . . Speedo claims that its new swimsuits are so technically advanced that competitors have 19% faster glide time in them. Probably helps to have great strokes too. . . . San Juan, Puerto Rico, is aiming at hosting the 2004 Summer Games. Officials are here observing. Ideally, they won’t pay close attention.