Salt Lake City Games Head Welch Resigns

Tom Welch, organizer of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, resigned Tuesday, saying he wanted to protect his family and the Games from the “feeding frenzy” over charges he assaulted his wife.

“I have concluded that the costs and stresses imposed upon the Organizing Committee, my children and me by the unfounded charges and allegations which have been widely reported in the media are simply too high,” said Welch, president and chief executive of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.

Welch, a 52-year-old former corporate lawyer, was charged July 21 with domestic battery after a July 9 argument with his wife, Alma, over another woman.

Alma Welch, 47, did not press charges but said she stood by everything she told police when they were summoned to the Welch home by one of the couple’s six children. She told police she had been abused for years and that her son “saved her life” by calling officers after the couple grappled when she tried to get at gifts and letters from the other woman.

Police reports noted bruises on Mrs. Welch. Welch told police he did not assault his wife and that she tended to exaggerate.

Tennis

Two days after winning the Infiniti Open at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, Jim Courier was upset by Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, in a first-round match at the du Maurier Canadian Open at Montreal.

Fourth-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov survived sloppy play before ousting American Vince Spadea, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6).

Spadea surprised his Russian foe in the first set, then raced to a 3-1 lead in the second. But Kafelnikov won nine games in a row to go up, 4-0, in the third.

Top-seeded Carlos Moya of Spain won his opening-round match at the Grolsch Open in Amsterdam, ousting Gregory Carraz of France, 6-4, 6-4, but third-seeded Alberto Berasategui of Spain was upset by Moroccan Karim Alami, 6-4, 6-4.

Hockey

The Chicago Blackhawks signed right wing Tony Amonte, the team leader in seven offensive categories last season, to a five-year contract reported to be worth between $14.5 million and $16.5 million.

The Ottawa Senators re-signed defenseman Jason York for two years at $1.75 million.

Jurisprudence

Charles Barkley threw the first punch in a nightclub fight, said Jeb Tyler, 24, who is suing Barkley for more than $500,000 in a trial in Cleveland.

Tyler, a business-equipment salesman, is suing the Houston Rocket forward over a fight at The Basement. He says he was punched while acting as a peacemaker.

Golf

Ernie Els beat Steve Elkington, 2-up, at Kohler, Wis., to win the international leg of the Andersen Consulting World Championship and earn the right to face Colin Montgomerie, who won the European championship, in the four-man world finals at Scottsdale, Ariz., on Jan. 3-4, 1998.

Scott Simpson shot his second consecutive four-under 67 for a two-day 134 total and won the $565,000 Fred Couples Invitational at Kenmore, Wash., by stroke over Tom Lehman.

Willie Wood had 10 birdies and an eagle in an 11-under 61 to win the $300,000 Greater Erie (Pa.) Charity Golf Classic by six shots. Woods had a 36-hole total of 126. John Daly, making a second comeback from alcoholism, finished at 136.

Swimming

Jenna Street, 15, of Johnson City, Tenn., swam a personal-best time of 2 minutes 28.97 seconds and won the gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the Phillips 66 National Swimming Championships in Nashville, Tenn.

Other winners included Chad Carvin of Laguna Hills (400 freestyle), Lenny Krayzelburg of USC (100 backstroke) and Misty Hyman of Phoenix (100 butterfly).

Miscellany

Unlimited hydroplane driver Dave Villwock has been moved out of the intensive care ward of a Seattle hospital after a weekend accident in which he broke his arm and nearly tore off his right hand.

The CART Indy-car series will hold a race Oct. 4, 1998, over a new 1.68-mile, 10-turn temporary street course in Houston.

The Big Ten conference awarded ESPN and ABC Sports exclusive cable and broadcast rights to football and basketball coverage until 2007.

Pepperdine infielder David Matranga, USC catcher Eric Munson and UCLA outfielder David Valent were among 22 players named to the USA Baseball national team that will compete in the International Baseball Assn. Intercontinental Cup in Barcelona from Friday through Aug. 10. Also on the team is Fresno State pitcher Jeff Weaver of Simi Valley, and USC Coach Mike Gillespie is an assistant to Coach Bob Milano.

Toronto Raptor center Sharone Wright will miss the first three months of the NBA season after undergoing surgery to repair arm and shoulder injuries he suffered in a car accident Friday.

Larry Holmes, 47, kept alive his dream of fighting George Foreman, 48, with a 10-round split decision against Maurice Harris, 22, at Madison Square Garden. Also on the card, in a scheduled 12-round bout for the vacant World Boxing Federation heavyweight title, Bert Cooper of Sharon Hill, Pa., knocked out Rich Molito of New York at 1:51 of the first round.