Hungarian Swim Officials Reelected Despite Scandal

The top two officials of Hungary’s swimming federation have been reelected, despite a scandal over falsified Olympic qualifying times.

Tamas Gyarfas resigned as federation president Sept. 9, in the wake of disclosures that half of Hungary’s swimmers at the Atlanta Games had qualified on fictitious times at a meet that was never held.

But Gyarfas, who said he had no knowledge of the fraud, later withdrew his resignation and was reelected last weekend by a vote of 65-2.

Federation Secretary General Jozsef Ruza, who admitted knowledge of the scam, also was reelected.

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An International Olympic Committee official’s wife, arrested after a scuffle with a police officer during the Atlanta Games, waived arraignment while her attorney sought to win a plea bargain.

Julie Pound, wife of IOC Vice President Dick Pound of Canada, was charged with refusal to comply with a police officer, obstruction, using abusive language and simple battery.

Tennis

Members of the Women’s Tennis Assn. are violating their own rules by paying appearance money to lure top stars to play in tournaments, Der Spiegel, a German magazine, reported.

Files assembled by the prosecutors in the tax evasion trial of Steffi Graf’s father show that the German Tennis Federation paid Graf $1.7 million to play in tournaments in Germany from 1990-1993. The money was in addition to prizes she won.

Der Spiegel said the files show that Peter Graf, who acted as his daughter’s financial manager, also negotiated appearance money for tournaments in Tokyo, Zurich, Montreal and Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Boxing

Mike Tyson, in lengthy testimony in his former trainer’s lawsuit against the heavyweight champion, denied ever offering Kevin Rooney a career-long contract.

Rooney, who was fired in 1988, is suing the boxer for $49 million in past and projected earnings. While admitting he had no written contract, Rooney maintains Tyson’s mentor, Cus D’Amato, intended for the trainer to handle Tyson throughout his career.

Basketball

The Clippers, who’ve held their training camp at UC Irvine for the last three years, will hold the first week of camp at UC Santa Barbara this season.

After training at UC Santa Barbara from Oct. 4-10, the Clippers will return to UC Irvine following a week-long exhibition trip.

Meanwhile, the Clippers, who’re considering signing free-agent center Dwayne Schintzius, will have Schintzius in for a workout and physical today, Coach Bill Fitch said.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee joined the Richmond Rage of the American Basketball League for a three-hour workout at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va. The three-time Olympic gold medalist last played basketball at UCLA from 1981-85.

Prosecutors in Chesapeake, Va., decided against asking a grand jury to reinstate a malicious wounding charge against Golden State Warrior forward Joe Smith. A judge dismissed the felony charge in a preliminary hearing Sept. 16.

Miscellany

Christopher Hodge, 4, of Janesville, Wis., died from injuries suffered Sunday when he was hit by a flying wheel at Rockford Speedway in Illinois. . . . Florence Griffith-Joyner, who set world records in the women’s 100 and 200 meters in the 1988 Olympics, settled lawsuits against her former lawyer and ex-manager, court records show.