SPORTS
THE BATTALION
Olympic deadlines
plague Athens, IOC
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The chief overseer of the 2004 Olympics de
livered a sharp message Thursday to organizers facing tight construction
deadlines: Stop talking and start building.
The demand by International Olympic Committee envoy Jacques Rogge
reflected the growing concern that lack of coordination and Greece's dense
bureaucracy could plunge the games back into crisis.
“The IOC expects, of course, the start of the construction pretty soon,”
Rogge said as he began a two-day inspection visit that included meetings with
Premier Costas Simitis and other government leaders.
The warning was not as stern as last year, when IOC president Juan Antonio
Samaranch told 2(X)4 organizers that an alarming lack of progress put the Athens
Games in jeopardy. But Rogge’s statement showed a much tougherlOC line af
ter praising Athens for quickly responding to Samaranch’s ultimatum.
Rogge reportedly spelled out his concerns to Simitis during a 45-minute
discussion that focused on construction of Olympic venues and transporta
tion infrastructure. Rogge made no comment after the meeting.
Greece’s Socialist government directly controls major Olympic con
struction projects and has rejected complaints of falling behind schedule.
Even President Costis Stephanopoulos said Monday it was the Greek style
to pull things together “at the last minute.”
There is now heavy pressure to show results.
Simitis has demanded various departments speed up their work. Athens
2004 head Gianna Angelopbulos-Daskalaki met Wednesday with govern
ment leaders, and urged streamlined procedures to get the projects under way.'
She accused some ministers of failing to appreciate the need for action.
Prosecutors drop
Benitez investigation
NEW YORK (AP) — For the sec
ond time in as many months, prose
cutors said Thursday they will not
file criminal charges against New
York Mets relief pitcher Armando
Benitez, accused by his former girl
friend of attacking her.
An investigation of the alleged as
sault determined that there was “an
insufficient legal basis on which to
proceed with a criminal prosecu
tion,” said Mary DeBourbon, a
spokeswoman for Queens District
Attorney Richard Brown.
Stacey O'Neill, Benitez's former
girlfriend, filed a complaint at the
109th Precinct in Queens on Jan. 3,
alleging that the pitcher punched her
and left her neck with a scar from a
scratch on Oct. 18. The alleged attack
took place on an off day between the
NL championship series and the
World Series.
In the police report, O'Neill said
she did not alert police at the time be
cause she was afraid of Benitez.
Brown's office said that in a letter
dated Feb. 6, “the young woman
who filed the original complaint re
quested that this office not prosecute
charges.”
Last month, Baltimore prosecu
tors announced that a domestic abuse
case filed against Benitez by O’Neill
had been dismissed, citing insuffi
cient evidence. O'Neill had filed a
complaint against Benitez in De
cember saying he slammed a door
against her during an argument on
Nov. 8.
Friday, February
Penn State
Con t i nued from Paf
face A&M-Corpus Christi. In thes-
ternoon, the Aggies will lake onto;
State at 5:45 p.m. They jinishtipn
Sunday, when they play A&M-Ci
pus Christi at 1 p.m. to via
invitational.
((
We'll fix /f/ie/oH
scoring! and get li
back on track.
— Selena Col
A&M sophomore cat#
The Aggies will look toreboti |
from a loss on Wednesday,
loss, A&M was held to a seastrt I
one run.
“We're disappointed aboutti
said sophomore catcher Setejl
Collins. "We'll fix that andgetnaJ
back on track.”
Florida
Cantinitcil fwmm
give us their best shot." Kleinecld
This weekend \\ ill Memfytm
of a tough eight-day stretchta
Aggies, w ho, al ter Sunday,
played against four teams ran
the top 45. A&M’s biggestjB
season was a 5-2 decision over)
21 Louisiana State Universitfii
Saturday.
The new WingspanBaiffl
polls have the Aggies rankelij
the first time since 1998 A&,l(i j
broken into the top 30.
A&M will return home
w hen it begins Big 12 play ad
Oklahoma State. 1||
Colorado
Continued fromPm
“This is a good team,” fl
women's basketball coach?®
Gillom said after Tuesday
loss. "We have got to dothtij
we need to do, and we have toi
with effort.”
Tip off against the Buffaloest]
be at 7 p.m.
:ev<
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Reveille V
m Wilson, a
|on majo
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