English Women’s Group Seeks to Have Tyson Barred

Mike Tyson arrived in England on Sunday with yet another fight on his hands--from a women’s group that wants him barred from the country.

The former heavyweight champion is to face Julius Francis on Jan. 29 in Manchester. The government had said Tyson could enter England despite his 1992 rape conviction. As Tyson’s Concorde landed at London’s Heathrow Airport, protesters said they were ready to ask Britain’s high court to review the government’s decision.

Justice for Women, a group that campaigns against domestic violence and sexual assault, will argue that Jack Straw, the British government official who oversees law enforcement, exceeded his powers in overriding immigration rules. Anyone convicted of a crime that would carry a 12-month jail sentence in Britain is deemed unfit to enter the country unless he can show “compassionate reasons.”

Winter Sports

Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann of Germany broke the women’s world 5,000-meter record and Rintje Ritsma of the Netherlands won his sixth men’s all-around title at the European Speedskating Championships at Hamar, Norway. Niemann-Stirnemann was timed in 6:56.84, improving her world mark by 0.4 of a second.

Norway’s Kjetil Andre Aamodt, who put together two solid runs on the difficult, foggy Maennlichen course at Wengen, Switzerland, earned the first World Cup slalom victory of his career and became the fourth skier to win in all five Alpine disciplines. Aamodt had a combined time of 1:44.87. . . . Austria’s Renate Goetschl won a women’s World Cup super-G at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria. Goetschl covered the bumpy Kaelberloch course in 1:29.14.

Baseball

Sammy Sosa said he ended negotiations with the Chicago Cubs on a possible seven-year contract extension because he first wants to see what the team does to improve.

“I want to end my career in a Cubs uniform . . . but I also want to win,” Sosa said in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. “I wanted to give the Cubs time to strengthen the team in the areas where they most need it.”

Free agent Dave Nilsson signed a one-year with Japan’s Chunichi Dragons, clearing the way for the former Milwaukee Brewer catcher to play for his native Australia in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

College Football

George Hess, the University of Houston’s campus police chief who was fired Nov. 8, told the Houston Chronicle that he believes he was terminated for reporting criminal activity by defensive end Mike DeRouselle, who was found guilty of forging a government document and given a four-year sentence a week before Hess was fired.

“I believe they wanted him [DeRouselle] to play football, so they covered it up,” Hess said. “It’s win at football at any cost.”

University officials deny intervening in the DeRouselle case and deny firing Hess.

Olympics

Trustees for Salt Lake’s Olympic organizers did not break state law when they imposed restrictions on which members could examine sponsorship contracts, said Kelly Flint, a lawyer for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.

Trustees last week voted to allow only members of the SLOC audit committee to see sponsor contracts. They said it would be too difficult to protect the records’ confidentiality if all 53 board members had access.

The Sydney Olympic organizing committee fired three senior managers--Hugh Watson, Bill Swingler and Geoff Bentley--in the first step toward making up a $65-million budget shortfall.

Names in the News

Radio announcer By Saam, 85, inducted into the broadcasters’ wing of the baseball Hall of Fame after calling more than 8,000 games for the Philadelphia Phillies and Athletics, died in Philadelphia. He suffered a stroke.