Atlanta Stated Mistrust of IOC

Atlanta’s Olympic bidders knew as early as 1988 that some International Olympic Committee members might be willing to sell their votes, according to documents released Friday.

Organizers of the 1996 Atlanta Games released eight boxes of documents they had fought for months to keep secret.

In admitting several violations and possible crimes in courting IOC votes, those same organizers argued this week that they were “neophytes” in a potentially corrupt system.

In a memo dated Aug. 8, 1988, bid committee member Horace Sibley describes a conversation with RJR Nabisco executive John Martin, who previously had negotiated Olympic network television rights for ABC.

According to Sibley, Martin described IOC members as “sleaze bags” who could not be trusted and were not the kind of people with which RJR Nabisco wanted to associate.

Sibley also wrote that the bid committee was “fully aware of this . . . and we were on our full guard in our effort.”

Motor Racing

Bob Russo, longtime Southland motor sports publicist, died of throat cancer in Covina. He was 71. Services will be held Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at St. Louise church, 1520 E. Covina Blvd., followed by burial at Forest Lawn, Covina. Russo is survived by his wife, Shirley, and daughter, Terri.

Ray Wilkings, who oversaw the construction of Irwindale Speedway and served as the track’s general manager in this, its first season, is stepping down Oct. 1. Wilkings will become executive vice president of Rebco Racing Enterprises, a supplier of specialized racing equipment, in Cumming, Ga. Robert DeFazio, the track’s director of operations, will succeed Wilkings as general manager.

Scott Kalitta (top fuel), John Force (funny car) and Kurt Johnson (pro stock) led their categories after the first round of qualifying for the True Value NHRA Keystone Nationals at Mohnton, Pa. . . . Rain washed out practice and qualifying for NASCAR’s Dura Lube 300 at Loudon, N.H.

Miscellany

The NBA champion San Antonio Spurs absorbed a record $12-million loss last season, team officials said. The NBA owners’ lockout of players meant the Spurs lost revenue from 16 regular-season home games and had to reimburse NBC about $5 million. . . . Golden State Warrior center Erick Dampier underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

The NHL, departing from the anti-gambling stances of other sports leagues, is willing to join forces with provincial lottery corporations to help keep the six Canadian-based teams in Canada.

In a setback for Brazil’s bid to hold soccer’s 2006 World Cup, former FIFA president Joao Havelange withdrew support for his home country and said Brazil should back South Africa’s candidacy. Havelange said Brazil’s poor infrastructure hurts its chances of being selected. . . . Midfielder Chris Armas scored the deciding goal in a 4-3 shootout as the Chicago Fire defeated the Tampa Bay Mutiny, 2-1, in a Major League Soccer game before 15,114 in Chicago.

Cuba, brushing aside exhortations from the International Amateur Athletics Federation, said it considered high jumper Javier Sotomayor innocent of doping charges and would not ban him.

“The IAAF can take whatever decisions it likes,” Alberto Juantorena, head of the Cuban Athletics Federation, said in comments quoted by the official Communist Party newspaper Granma.

Juantorena was responding to a public reminder from the IAAF on Thursday that Cuba should apply IAAF rules and ban Sotomayor for failing a recent dope test.

Gete Wami of Ethiopia added the All-Africa Games 10,000-meter title to her world cross-country championship and her World Championships 10,000-meter title at Johannesburg, South Africa. Wami won easily in 32 minutes 8 seconds, beating countrywoman Merima Hashim and Leah Malot of Kenya.

In his latest run-in with the law, former boxer Tommy Morrison was arrested on drug charges after having been stopped for careless driving late Thursday night in Fayetteville, Ark. The former WBO heavyweight champion was carrying more than a gram of cocaine and also had marijuana and a gun, police said. He was released from jail after making his $3,500 bond. His arraignment was scheduled for Oct. 18. . . . Former WBC heavyweight champion Oliver McCall, 35, will resume his boxing career with a bout Sept. 25 against Samson Cohen at Bassett, Va.

Top-seeded Thomas Enqvist of Sweden reached the semifinals of the Samsung Open clay-court tennis tournament with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Karim Alami of Morocco at Bournemouth, England. . . . Third-seeded Nicolas Kiefer of Germany and qualifier George Bastl of Switzerland advanced to the final of the President’s Cup at Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Kiefer defeated Daniel Vacek of the Czech Republic, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, after Bastl had eased past Peter Wessels of the Netherlands, 6-4, 6-3. . . . Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia beat Markus Hipfl of Austria, 7-5, 6-3, to make the semifinals of the Mallorca Open at Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands. Hrbaty, seeded fourth, will face second-seeded Alex Corretja, who beat Hernan Gumy of Argentina, 6-3, 6-2.