Swimmer Hall Suspended After Testing for Marijuana

Gary Hall Jr., who won two gold and two silver medals in the 1996 Olympics, has been suspended from competition by the international swimming federation for a positive marijuana test.

Hall, 23, who lives in Phoenix, said Wednesday he would fight the allegation but would not be able to swim in this month’s Goodwill Games in New York. The suspension, based on a test at a May 15 event in Phoenix, is provisional, and Hall plans to undergo a second test next week in the International Olympic Committee’s laboratory in Montreal.

If that test also is positive, FINA, the sport’s governing body, would determine the length of the suspension.

“I am confident that once I am afforded the opportunity to present my position, I will be able to prove I did not violate any FINA rule and the provisional suspension will be removed,” Hall said in a statement released by his agent.

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Swimming coach Cecil Russell, who was banned for life in Canada for distributing anabolic steroids, has been hit with similar sanctions in the United States by U.S. Swimming. He had been coaching a club in Florida since May 1997.

Soccer

The Galaxy’s Octavio Zambrano will coach the World All-Stars and D.C. United’s Bruce Arena will coach the U.S. squad in the Major League Soccer all-star game, Aug. 2 in Orlando, Fla.

The two coaches, whose teams play Friday in Washington, were selected based on the records of the Galaxy and D.C. United as of Sunday.

Jurisprudence

The lawsuit of former Notre Dame football assistant Joe Moore, 66, begins today in federal court in Lafayette, Ind., with Moore contending he was fired after the 1996 season because Coach Bob Davie believed he was too old.

The university is expected to counter that Moore abused his players and was dismissed not because of his age but because he did not properly represent the program.

Defense lawyers for boxing promoter Don King demanded a mistrial in New York after a juror admitted seeing a newspaper article suggesting King could face a long prison term if convicted of insurance fraud.

The trial also prompted postponement of the International Boxing Federation junior-bantamweight fight between Danny Romero and Johnny Tapia, a King fighter.

Tennis

Second-seeded Mark Woodforde lost to Belgium’s Laurence Tielman, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, one of four defeats suffered by seeded players in the second round of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I. . . . Returning home from her Wimbledon triumph, Jana Novotna beat Slovakia’s Janette Husarova, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3), in her opening match at the Czech Open at Prague.

Defending champion Magnus Norman of Sweden, seeded second, was upset by Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, in the Swedish Open at Bastad. . . . Marcelo Rios of Chile, the world’s No. 2 player, ousted the big drawing card of the Swiss Open, beating Marc Rosset of Switzerland, 6-3, 6-3, in the first round at Gstaad.

Wimbledon finalist Goran Ivanisevic has been given a wild card into the Mercedes-Benz Cup at the Los Angeles Tennis Center-UCLA, July 27-Aug. 2. Joining him are Wimbledon semifinalist Tim Henman and Wayne Ferreira. . . . Wimbledon finalist Nathalie Tauziat has entered the Acura Classic, Aug. 10-16 at Manhattan Country Club at Manhattan Beach.

Pro Football

Running back Dorsey Levens has decreased his contract demands by $200,000 a year, but that’s not nearly enough for the Green Bay Packers, according to General Manager Ron Wolf. Agent Hadley Engelhard said Levens had offered to sign a four-year contract that would average $5.3 million a season.

Richard Jacobs, owner of the Cleveland Indians, is the latest applicant for the NFL’s new Cleveland Browns.

The league will select the Browns’ owner through a bidding process by September. Owners will set the ground rules at a meeting in Dallas on July 28. The price is expected to be at least $300 million.

Miscellany

Calgary and San Jose will start the 1998-99 NHL season in Tokyo with games Oct. 9-10. . . . Ian Woosnam shot a four-under-par 67 to take the first-round lead at the $1.4-million Loch Lomond tournament at Glasgow, Scotland. . . . Todd Bodine, who failed to qualify for half of the first 16 races on the 1998 Winston Cup schedule, was fired by Bob Hancher, owner of the ISM Racing team. Bodine will be replaced by Gary Bradberry.

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Randy Harvey is on vacation