Track Moves to Lighten Drug Use Punishment

Track and field’s ruling body is ready to cut its penalty for drug use in half because of pressure from athletes and regional federations.

A ruling on the proposal, supported by the European federation, will probably be made during a two-day meeting of the IAAF congress, starting Wednesday in Athens, Greece, where the World Track Championships begin Friday.

“The idea was accepted, so discussion on this probably won’t come up again at the council meeting,� said Giorgio Reineri, spokesman for the International Amateur Athletic Federation.

Several countries, among them Germany, Spain, France and Russia, have refused to implement the current four-year ban. Some athletes contested bans in their national courts, and many have been returning to competition after two years, which would be the maximum penalty under the proposed change.

In other action, IAAF officials said they would ban Norway from the sport if it failed to report positive drugs tests on time. Norway reported only in the last few days the name of an athlete who tested positive May 14.

Jurisprudence

Charles Barkley, who is being sued over a bar fight, mouthed an expletive at his accuser as the trial began in Cleveland, then later signed autographs at the courthouse.

The scuffle occurred last summer when Barkley was in town with the U.S. Olympic basketball team. He has told police that he was attacked.

Jeb Tyler, 23, of Spencerport, N.Y., said Barkley punched him several times in the face and head. Barkley has said he will not settle the lawsuit, and that Tyler’s accusations are motivated by money.

No criminal charges were filed. Tyler is seeking at least $50,000 in damages from Barkley and the bar.

Basketball

The New Jersey Nets signed Utah forward Keith Van Horn, the second pick in the NBA draft, to a three-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed, but under the rookie salary scale, Van Horn of Diamond Bar can receive a maximum of $9.161 million over three years. Van Horn was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers and traded to the Nets.

Darrell Walker, the lowest-paid coach in the NBA last season, signed a three-year contract extension with the Toronto Raptors.

Walker earned $265,000 last year. His new deal is worth a reported $1.8-2 million over three seasons.

The Boston Celtics signed Andrew DeClercq, Tony Massenburg and Bruce Bowen.

Hockey

As expected, Mark Messier, the only player to serve as captain of two teams that won Stanley Cups, agreed to a three-year contract with Vancouver that is reportedly worth up to $20 million.

The Canucks, who have never won the Stanley Cup, missed the playoffs last season with a 35-40-7 record and had trouble filling their new arena, the GM Place.

Messier, 36, has lifted the Cup six times--five with Edmonton--and he led New York to the 1994 championship over Vancouver, ending the Rangers’ 54-year Cup drought.

John Spano, 33, the businessman who faces federal fraud charges in his failed attempt to buy the New York Islanders, posted his $3.15-million Dallas home to make bail, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors say Spano, who had been free before coming up with bail, lied about his net worth to Fleet Bank, the NHL and Islander owner John Pickett.

Tennis

Justin Gimelstob, the former UCLA standout who upset Andre Agassi last week in the Infiniti Open, knocked off ninth-seeded Petr Korda of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-4, in the first round of the du Maurier Canadian Open at Montreal.

Second-seeded Albert Costa of Spain was the first upset victim at the Grolsch Open, losing, 6-3, 6-4, to Dutchman Dennis van Scheppingen in Amsterdam.

Paul Haarhuis, the top Dutch player in the tournament, lost, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), to qualifier Fernando Vicente of Spain.

Henry Talbert, former president of the New Jersey Tennis Assn., has been named executive director of the Southern California Tennis Assn, replacing Bob Kramer, who will become full-time tournament director of the Infiniti Open.

Miscellany

Jan Ullrich was welcomed home by about 20,000 flag-waving fans in Bonn, Germany, after winning the Tour de France.

Ullrich, 23, is the first German to win cycling’s showcase race and almost overnight has become a national hero.

The families of 78 Guatemalans crushed to death in an overcrowded soccer stadium last year received checks for $6,500 each from FIFA, the international soccer authority.

Overcrowding triggered a human avalanche in the cheap seating section of Guatemala City’s Mateo Flores Stadium on Oct. 16, only minutes before a World Cup qualifying game between Costa Rica and Guatemala.

It was the worst tragedy in the history of soccer’s World Cup competition.

Doctors in Seattle repaired “a near amputation� of unlimited hydroplane driver Dave Villwock’s right hand after he was injured in a spectacular crash in the Budweiser Columbia Cup. Doctors believe Villwock, 42, can make a full recovery.

The Senior PGA Tour will abandon its stop in Lexington, Ky., after September’s Bank One Classic, replacing the tournament with one in a larger market, tour officials said.

Cleveland, Seattle and Portland, Ore., are contenders for the spot as the senior tour seeks tournaments with purses of at least $1 million.

Peter Graf, the father of Steffi Graf, reported to a German prison hospital for treatment of alcoholism as he began serving a sentence for tax evasion.

He was convicted in January and sentenced to three years and nine months. Counting the 15 months he spent in investigative custody, plus normal reductions, he could be released as early as February.

The Atlantic Coast Conference has given ESPN exclusive rights to televise 100 college football games from 1998 to 2005. The conference also extended its national TV agreement with ABC Sports