Stojakovic Says He Won’t Compete in the Olympics

Peja Stojakovic said Wednesday that he would not play for Serbia and Montenegro at the Athens Olympics, depriving the defending world champions of their best perimeter scorer.

The three-time NBA All-Star for the Sacramento Kings said he was tired and that his decision was irreversible.

“No way. I already spoke with the team officials. We talked about it, and it’s done,” Stojakovic told Associated Press. “I’m not going to go.”

Stojakovic will be in Greece during the Olympics, fulfilling the end of a three-month stint in the Greek army. He holds dual citizenship in Greece and Serbia and Montenegro.

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Olympic athletes in Athens will be tested for the banned stimulant human growth hormone for the first time after research at a British university, Dick Pound, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, told Bloomberg News. The test will be carried out on urine and blood samples.

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Marion Jones has withdrawn from a pre-Olympic meet this week in London, where she had been scheduled to compete in the 100 meters and the long jump. No reason was given for her withdrawal.

Hockey

The Phoenix Coyotes have made a two-year contract offer to right wing Brett Hull, who played for the Detroit Red Wings last season.

“We have a genuine interest, we’ve made a serious and substantive offer, and we’re awaiting his reply,” Coyote General Manager Mike Barnett said.

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The Red Wings re-signed defenseman Mathieu Dandenault to a one-year contract worth $1.6 million.... The Boston Bruins agreed to terms with right wing Tom Fitzgerald on a two-year contract.... Goaltender Jocelyn Thibault agreed to a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.... The Atlanta Thrashers agreed to terms with free-agent forward Patrik Stefan.

Golf

Esther Choe of La Quinta shot an even-par 71 to move to within two strokes of the lead going into the final round of the McDonald’s Betsy Rawls Girls Championship at White Manor Country Club in Malvern, Pa. Choe is tied for fourth at four-over 146. Grace Woo of Burbank is in eighth at 147.

First-round leader Julieta Granada of Paraguay is in a three-way tie for the lead at 144 with Tiffany Chudy of Miramar, Fla., and Amanda Blumenherst of Scottsdale, Ariz.

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Rory Hie of Lakewood shot a three-under-par 69 to move into a tie for second place at one-under 143 at the halfway point of the HP Boys Junior Championship at Bay Hill Golf Club in Orlando, Fla. Samuel Sanders of Windermere, Fla., leads at 142.

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Former baseball slugger Mark McGwire made his debut in a major amateur golf event with a 12-over 82 at the 102nd Western Amateur in Benton Township, Mich. It left him 17 strokes behind the co-leaders and tied for 152nd in the field of 156.

Tennis

Top-seeded Roger Federer beat Hicham Arazi, 6-3, 7-5, to advance to the second round of the $2.5-million Masters Canada tournament at Toronto. Federer won the first set Tuesday night before play was suspended because of rain.

In other matches, second-seeded Andy Roddick beat French qualifier Julien Benneteau, 6-4, 6-2; Fernando Gonzalez defeated eighth-seeded Rainer Schuettler, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3; Thomas Johansson beat 13th-seeded Nicolas Massu, 6-4, 6-4; Gregory Carraz beat 12th-seeded Sebastien Grosjean, 6-2, 7-6 (7); and Nicholas Keifer defeated 15th-seeded Marat Safin, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (3).

Miscellany

Etan Thomas will remain with the Washington Wizards. General Manager Ernie Grunfeld said the Wizards would match the six-year, $36.6-million offer sheet Thomas signed with the Milwaukee Bucks on July 14.... The Miami Heat re-signed free-agent forward Rasual Butler, who led the team in three-point percentage (.463) and averaged 7.2 points a game last season.

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Former undisputed heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman knocked out Terrence Lewis 43 seconds into the second round at Rochester, N.Y.

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Boxer Tony Ayala was sentenced in San Antonio to 10 years in prison for violating terms of the probation he was serving from a burglary conviction. Ayala, 41, who served 16 years for rape, refused to submit to a drug test earlier this month after he was stopped for speeding and charged with possessing drug paraphernalia.

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California lightweight champion Miguel Angel Perez (19-5, 14 knockouts) of Mexico will fight Gustavo Tapia (11-16-3, 4) of Orange tonight at the Irvine Marriott in a nontitle bout as the main event of a seven-bout card.

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Lance Armstrong won a 62-mile race in Amsterdam on Tuesday, two days after claiming his record sixth consecutive Tour de France title.

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Jockey Alex Solis, injured in a spill at Del Mar last week, had back surgery to repair a broken vertebra.

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Nathaniel Curran of Oxnard and Dane Reynolds of Ventura won their heats during the round of 128 at the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. Also advancing were Gavin Beschen of San Clemente, Dean Randazzo of San Diego and Eric Taylor of Vero Beach, Fla. The women’s competition began without 11-year-old Carissa Moore of Hawaii, who was disqualified after failing to show for her opening heat.

Passings

Former San Francisco Giant pitcher Ruben Gomez, who won baseball’s first regular-season game on the West Coast, died in Puerto Rico at 77. Gomez started the first game in San Francisco history, beating Don Drysdale and the visiting Dodgers, 8-0, on April 15, 1958.