Favorite horses enter top race

Favorite horses enter top race

JAKARTA (JP): The second series of the 28th Soeharto Cup will
see top favorite racing horses from Jakarta, North Sulawesi, West
Java and Central Java in a fierce battle to help decide the
winner of the trophy.

Thunderbird and Krisna from West Java, Jakarta's Robinhood
champion of this year's Indonesian derby and Benfica from North
Sulawesi, have been tipped favorites for the 2,000 meter race,
one of eight races scheduled for Sunday at the Pulo Mas track,
East Jakarta.

Jakarta took the commanding lead by racking up 27 points after
the first series held on July 24, followed by West Java with
18pts for second place. Third was North Sulawesi with 16 points.

Sunday's races offer 138 points up for grabs split into eight
races. The Jakarta team has won the annual race for the last two
years. (rsl)

Romario back in Barcelona

BARCELONA (AFP): Brazilian World Cup striker Romario arrived
here Tuesday asking Barcelona supporters to forgive him for
failing to report for training three-weeks ago.

Romario ignored the deadline in order to extend his holiday
after helping Brazil to victory in the USA World Cup in July.

He flew out Monday from Rio de Janeiro saying "What I really
want is to come back to Brazil, to Rio, as quickly as possible."
But on arrival he asked fans to "forgive" him and said he would
meet coach Johan Cruyff to discuss the problem today.

Voeller signs for Bayer Leverkusen

BONN (AFP): Veteran German international Rudi Voeller is to
sign a two-year contract with Bayer Leverkusen.

Voeller, 34, is quitting troubled French club Olympic
Marseille in a US$323,000 transfer deal.

Voeller, with 90 caps, asked for a move when the French club
was relegated following a match-fixing scandal last season.

Rio intends to bid for 2004 games

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuter): Rio de Janeiro intends to bid to
host the 2004 Olympics and could build an Olympic enclave, cut
off from the rest of the city, to avoid exposing competitiors and
visitors to the city's notorious crime-rate, mayor Cesar Maia
said.

Rio's proposed bid won the backing of the Brazilian Olympic
Committee (COB) at a meeting on Tuesday.

The COB had been due to choose between Rio and Brasilia for a
bid to present to the International Olympic Committee, but
Brasilia withdrew without a vote.

Lebow enters Hall of Fame

NEW YORK (Reuter): Running guru Fred Lebow, who has been
battling brain cancer for the past four years, on Tuesday was
inducted into the U.S. National Track and Field Hall of Fame
ahead of schedule.

U.S. athletics officials decided to forgo the usual procedure
and induct Lebow immediately, rather that wait for the September
12 balloting and formal induction ceremony in December in St
Louis.

"We thought the timing was good in light of Fred's health and
we thought it was in his best interest to have it at this time,"
Larry Ellis, president of USA Track and Field, said at the
ceremony honouring for the 62-year-old New York City Marathon
director.

Almsick ready for Rome

BERLIN (Reuter): Franziska van Almsick, Germany's six-time
European swimming gold medallist, said on Tuesday she is ready
for next month's world championships in Rome but would not
predict any world records for herself.

The 16-year-old van Almsick told the Berlin Foreign
Journalists Club the competition has increased considerably since
she won two silver medals and two bronze medals at the 1992
Olympics in Barcelona.

"I had a very successful training camp in Mexico and the
training continues to progress very well," she said of her recent
80-km (50-mile) per week training regimen.