COUNTDOWN TO OLYMPICS

* Days until opening ceremony: 22.

* Olympic update: An arbitrator in New York turned down a bid by Lisa Raymond to replace Serena Williams in doubles for the U.S. tennis team. That means the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, will play doubles for the United States.

* March to the medals: Catcher Pat Borders was one of the few recognizable names when the U.S. baseball team was announced. The rest of the team is made up of minor leaguers.

* Carrying the torch: Started the day in Ballina, a fishing village, and passed through Grafton--where the route was lined with purple wrapping to celebrate the town’s Jacaranda Festival--on its way to Coffs Harbour.

* Olympic footnote: Cross-dressing drag queens will be part of the closing ceremony for the Sydney Games. Ceremonies director Ric Birch said he’s ignoring the controversy sparked by the move, part of a tribute to Australian films, and called critics “right-wing reactionaries.”