WEEK IN REVIEW
September 18- September 24, 2001 Vol. 4 Issue #36
Compiled and Edited by Julie Parkins

IN THE NEWS....

CANADA WINS SECOND GAME AT WORLD CUP
FIELD HOCKEY QUALIFIER

ABBEVILLE, France (CP) -- Aoibhinn Grimes of Duncan, B.C., scored three goals to lead Canada's women's field hockey team to a 4-1 round-robin win over Malaysia on Wednesday at a World Cup qualifying tournament.

Karen MacNeill of Calgary, who played in her 100th game for Team Canada, also scored, which improved Canada to 1-1 after a 1-0 loss to Russia in their opening game Tuesday. Amy Agulay of London, Ont., and Krista Thompson of Chatham, N.B., shared the goaltending duties.

Karen MacNeill

"It was great to come away with a win for my 100th game," said MacNeill. "We played more as a team and we were a dominant force out there. With each game we are going to get better and more goals are going to go in." Canada jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over the Malaysians with MacNeill's field goal in the 15th minute of the first half and Grimes' successful penalty corner in the 29th.

Malaysia, which was held to just one penalty corner in the entire game, made it 2-1 midway through the second. But Canada continued to apply pressure, scoring in the 20th minute.

"I think the (Malaysia) goal stirred the girls up a little," said Head Coach Butch Worth. "It got them moving again."

Grimes put the game away with a field goal in the 26th minute of the second half. Canada must finish in the top seven in the 18-team qualifying field to advance to next year's World Cup.

UPDATE: Canada defeated Belgium on September 21, 4-1 with MacNeill scoring one goal, but lost to Lithuania the following day by a score of 2-3. "Lithuania caused a surprise by winning a ding-dong match with Canada 3-2 for their first victory," said Pat Rowley, FIH Media Officer: Lithuania stay below Canada in fifth place but have a game in hand.

Follow the team's progress through the Field Hockey Canada website.

ARCHER TOP OF THE HEAP AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

BEIJING, China--For the first time, a Canadian archer finished first in the FITA 1440 qualification round at a world target championship.

Dawn Groszko of Calgary, was one of 11 Canadians that competed at the 41st World Championships in Beijing, China. She dominated the field from the first distance and set a blistering pace, finishing with a 1391 out of a possible 1440 points. Groszko finished ahead of three French archers. There were 57 archers competing in the reduced field. Unfortunately, the US Archers were not able to leave the country due to the terrorist attacks last Tuesday.

Archers line up during the qualification round at the World Championships

Groszko ended the women's individual competition in 21st place. Groszko also competed along side Lillian Jarvis and Lynne Durward (Saltspring Island, BC) in the team round where they finished in 8th place.

IN THE NEWS...

OLYMPICS MAY ADD WOMEN'S WRESTLING

By JAMES CHRISTIE--Women's wrestling should be added to the 2004 Athens Olympics, the International Olympic Committee says, a change which could mean places on the podium for Canada's world championship medalists.

Nordhagen-Vierling in action

But before tallying the hardware on the mat, there's another international fight looming, Greg Mathieu, executive director of the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association, said. At least two men's weight divisions would need to disappear -- by dropping or combining divisions -- to make way for four women's classes. "Canada favours it, but it will have to be approved by the international wrestling federation [FILA]." Mathieu said.

"That won't go over well with many of the Muslim countries who are strong and influential in wrestling. In some of them, women don't compete in sport at all, let alone wrestling."

It's a different story in North America, where women's wrestling is a competitive university-level sport. Calgary school teacher Christine Nordhagen-Vierling has been world champion four times in the 68-kilogram category and once at 75 kilograms. She was to have led Canada into the now-postponed world championships in New York this month. Also on that team are two world medalists, Erica Sharp of Whitehorse, who won bronze last year at 56 kilograms, and Carol Huynh of Vancouver, 1998 silver medalist at 46 kilograms.

ENDURANCE ATHLETES TO BE TESTED BEFORE SALT LAKE

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) -- Athletes in endurance sports will have blood tests before the Winter Olympics to detect drug use, and those who fail will face a decisive urine test for EPO.

IOC medical director Patrick Schamasch said it's possible other athletes will be tested as well leading to the Feb. 8-24 Salt Lake City Games. The IOC on Wednesday also announced streamlined procedures for drug cases at the Olympics and preliminary findings on a study concerning food supplements.

EPO, or erythropoetin, artificially increases the level of red blood cells, enhancing aerobic capacity. A conclusive urine-only test for EPO is expected by mid-November, Schamasch said. It will replace a bulkier blood-urine test used at the Sydney Olympics, where no athlete tested positive. Schmasch will meet at the end of October with three winter sports federations to complete blood-screening procedures -- cross-country skiing and Nordic combined; speed skating; and biathlon.

Nordic skiers will be targeted for EPO testing before the Olympics

This is a separate initiative from urine tests being carried out by the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the international federations.

The IOC also reported that 15 percent to 20 percent of food supplements it has studied so far were contaminated with banned substances. Schmasch warned athletes they would not be able to use conclusions from a study on diet supplements as a loophole at the Salt Lake Games. The study was performed on 600 different products bought off shelves and sent to Cologne, Germany, for analysis.

Schmasch points to the early results. "It's higher than we expected," he said. "If any athletes were to take this product, he or she would test positive." Schamasch said a wide series of banned substances were found, with nandrolone leading the list. There were 343 positive tests in 1999 in all sports for nandrolone, which builds muscles and strengthens bones, with most athletes claiming they hadn't knowingly used the drug. "Athletes know this is a problem," Schamasch said. "If they want to be clean, they don't have to take a supplement."

He said the IOC could not yet disclose which products are contaminated and some products may have been unintentionally tainted. The IOC also announced new procedures for positive drug tests at the Olympics. A four- to five member panel will investigate and question the athlete. The process must be done within 24 hours. A small executive board will then have 12 hours to recommend possible sanctions. Previously, an athlete would face a hearing before the entire IOC medical commission. Then the case would go to the executive board.

SLC MISSION STAFF ORIENTATION RESOUNDING SUCCESS

By SEAN MYERS--Let the countdown to the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics begin. Despite security concerns arising from the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on New York and Washington, D.C., it's full steam ahead, according to Sally Rehorick, the chef de mission of the Canadian Olympic team.

A four-day seminar for support staff wound up Sunday at Canada Olympic Park and Rehorick says it was a resounding success. "It went beyond our wildest expectations," said Rehorick, who lives in Fredericton, N.B., but grew up in Edmonton. "Everybody said it was the best seminar they've attended. Everyone's determined that these be the best Games ever." Attending the weekend conference were about 75 members of separate support teams involved with behind-the-scenes preparations -- such as rooming, food, communications, transportation and medical attention -- for Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

The weekend finished with a luncheon on Sunday with several athletes in attendance to help connect the staff with their primary purpose in going to the Games. "We're going to hit the ground running in Salt Lake," said Rehorick. "I think as of today we are 138 days out. We have a vision of what has to happen every week until then."

FREESTYLERS WRITING FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED ONLINE

Canadian freestyle skiing athletes Deidra Dionne, Jennifer Heil and Veronica Brenner have been writing diaries for CNN Sports Illustrated about their preparations for the Salt Lake City Olympics. Click on the links below to read all about what they've been up to!

JENNIFER HEIL
DEIDRA DIONNE
VERONICA BRENNER

ATHLETE'S VOICE

Swimmer Carrie Burgoyne in China

As a member of Canada's national swim team, I traveled to Beijing, China to swim at the World University Games this summer. The World University Games are held every two years for University students around the world. This year we all united in Beijing, one of the world's most historic cities and the host city of the 2008 Olympics. It was a chance of a lifetime and proved to be one of the most memorable trips I will ever take.

(Carrie, Patti Smith (mission staff) & Chuck Sayoa(swimming) at the Opening Ceremonies

The competition in Beijing was very tough. All the big names in swimming were present. Athletes did not want to miss the occasion to compete and try out the venues they will be using in 2008. It's unfortunate I didn't get the chance to visit all the sites but from what I saw of the stadium from the opening ceremonies and the pool, all was spectacular. Around the whole city you can catch a glimpse of what the site of the 2008 Olympics is going to look like from pictures on billboards. Everywhere you turn people can read, "Build new Beijing for Great Olympics."

Beijing is extremely proud to host the Olympics and this competition was a dry run at the Games. The Olympic village security was very strict. Athletes, coaches, staff and volunteers needed their accreditation everywhere. Passing through a metal detector before entering every building as well as the village quickly became a part of our regular routine. The volunteers were everywhere, very friendly and a good part of them spoke English - mainly because they were university students. The village had a fantastic atmosphere. It was constantly busy and was always entertaining. With shows in the courtyard every night, access to the Internet, a discotheque, arcades, an outdoor pool, and the cafeteria being open 24 hours, we never ran out of things to do.

My impression of Beijing is that the people lead fast paced lives. It is a very intense atmosphere. With a population of 12 million people it seemed as though everyone was always on the go and didn't relax much. Everything is very crowded - the streets, the buildings, the bikes, the stores and the list goes on. The sales men are very pushy and in your face. The best example of this would be my visit to the Silk Market. The Silk Market is a place where they sell imitation brand name stuff.

The Athlete's Village

People bargain with the seller to get the price they want. I've never seen anything like it. People are yelling everywhere. Bargaining with them is hard - they do this day in and day out. The secret is to start at a ridiculously low price and then stop at the price you want to pay for it. If the seller doesn't like it, he'll call you crazy and tell you you're joking. However, just start walking away and he'll call you back. It's just one big game. Other than that, the people are very bad drivers and I feared for my life every time I got in a taxi.

My favourite part of the trip was the sight seeing I got to do. I spent a whole day on three beautiful parts of the Great Wall. It was just incredible to imagine all the strength and time it took to build this wall that stretches over 7,000km around China.

The Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City were also amazing sites to visit with some temples still furnished in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The temples are very peaceful and beautiful. A lot of the Chinese people visit the temples quite often to escape the loud and fast lifestyle they lead in Beijing. It was quite hard to believe that these Palaces are still around after hundreds of years. It was so calming to view this magnificent artwork. The art is so detailed and small. The roofs, the borders and the ceilings of the temples are covered with magnificent work.

The Great Wall of China

Tiananmen Square was awesome to see. It's not until you are actually standing there that you can understand how big it actually is. Still, the Chinese people all deny the killings of the students that happened there in the eighties. However, all around Tiananmen Square looks just like any North American street with the presence of McDonald's and KFC's everywhere. It's a bit sad how you can't keep anything sacred.

Beijing was nothing but a positive experience for me. Other than the fact that I saw the Water Polo guys drink snake blood and that I was forced to eat snake, everything was amazing. The people, the city, the village treated us very well. I'm sure that China will be one of the coolest places I'll ever get to see. Thanks to sport I had yet again a chance to see another corner of the world.