S. Arabia, Jordan quit Asian meet

JAKARTA (JP): Saudi Arabia and Jordan have withdrawn from the eighth Asian Shooting Championship, slated to begin here on Sunday, the organizers say.

Sita Razmi, secretary-general of the organizing committee, said yesterday the two teams did not give any reasons for their withdrawal. With the absence of the two Middle East teams, 29 countries remain on the participants' list for the event which serves as the last chance to win the minimum qualification scores for a berth at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Sita said the exact number of participating countries would probably not be clear until the eve of the competition.

Australia and New Zealand, which are classified as "non-Asia" teams, will also participate. But if they win, they will not earn medals, Sita said. (arf)