French Cyclist Penalized for Role in Tour Scandal

Cyclist Richard Virenque, cleared in court of charges he helped supply drugs to teammates, was barred Friday for nine months for his role in the 1998 Tour de France scandal.

The French rider was disciplined by the Swiss Cycling Federation. Virenque is licensed in Switzerland, and the governing International Cycling Union had asked the Swiss federation to take action against him.

The ban begins in February and means that Virenque will miss next season’s main races, including the Tour de France.

It also leaves Virenque’s professional future in doubt. After two seasons with the Italian team Polti, the 31-year-old rider is unsigned.

The Swiss group also fined him $2,440, the maximum for first drug offenses, and ordered him to pay $1,220 in fees. Virenque is expected to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.

Football

The Xtreme drafted nine-year NFL veteran Derick Graham with their first selection in the XFL supplemental draft, then chose two other offensive linemen with their remaining seven picks.

Graham, 33, last played with the Oakland Raiders in 1998, starting 12 games. He played with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1990-94, the Carolina Panthers from 1995-96 and the Seattle Seahawks in 1997.

The Xtreme also selected four players who played in the Canadian Football League last year--offensive linemen Jerry Crafts and Bruce Beaton, defensive back Clifton Abraham and defensive end Jeff Cummins. Former USC defensive tackle Matt Keneley was selected as a territorial draft choice.

Winter Sports

Kristian Hammer beat Norwegian compatriot Bjarte Engen Vik down the stretch in a sprint to win a World Cup Nordic combined event at Lillehammer, Norway. Todd Lodwick was the top American, finishing sixth and trailing the winner by 42.7 seconds.

Norway’s Tor Arne Hetland won the men’s freestyle sprint at Engelberg, Switzerland, ending a Nordic cross-country World Cup meet dominated by his compatriots. Italy’s Christian Zorzi lunged over the finish line to take second place ahead of Norway’s Haarvard Solbakken.

Martin Schmitt of Germany won the opening leg of the Four Hill ski jump tour, soaring 133 meters to set a hill record at Obertsdorf, Germany.

Defending champions Jennifer Rodriguez and Derek Parra are the leaders in the U.S. Allround Speedskating Championships in Butte, Mont. The three-day competition resumes today.

Miscellany

The Salt Lake Organizing Committee has sued a woman for her Web site that features Winter Games trivia and provides help finding housing during the Olympics.

Christine Wallace’s site is called https://SLC2002.com and it labels itself as a “100% unofficial site.” It has a mascot, cups, T-shirts and other merchandise for sale.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday, claims copyright infringement and accuses the Salt Lake woman of deceiving consumers and “causing irreparable harm” to SLOC and the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Dutch news organizations refused to surrender TV footage and photographs of recent riots triggered by the killing of a soccer fan by a police officer.

A magistrate in Amsterdam has demanded the material for use in the police investigation. The violence raged for three days in Den Bosch after the Dec. 16 shooting death of Pierre Bouleij.

Vaclav Nedorost scored twice as defending champion Czech Republic beat the United States, 4-2, to take the lead in Group A of the World Junior Hockey Championships at Moscow.

Tomas Kapusta scored three goals as the Ice Dogs defeated Phoenix, 8-7, in a shootout before 4,216 at the Long Beach Arena.

Names in the News

Jim Furyk withdrew from the Match Play Championship that begins next week at Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia, adding to a growing list of no-shows for the $5-million event. Most of the world’s top players, including Tiger Woods, David Duval, Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie, have passed on the event.

Australian tennis star Mark Philippoussis said he’s planning to return to the tennis circuit for the Feb. 19-25 ATP tournament in Memphis, Tenn., after undergoing surgery on a recurring knee injury.

Les O’Gara, a four-time AAU All-American basketball player with 20th Century Fox in pre-NBA days, died Tuesday at his home in Grover City, Calif. O’Gara, 80, was a native of Pasadena and captain of the 1938 state junior college championship team that included Jackie Robinson.