YEAR IN REVIEW 1996: SPORTS-AND-GAMES: ICE HOCKEY

ICE HOCKEY: International. The 59th world championship was contested by a record 39 nations, three more than the previous year, requiring an enlarged two-section Pool C. The 12 title-contending nations in the elite Pool A, held in Stockholm and Gvle, Sweden, were divided into the customary two preliminary round-robin groups, each providing four of the quarterfinalists. Two teams, the United States and Russia, survived unbeaten from the qualifying groups, Russia winning all of its five games and the U.S. winning three and drawing two. France gained its first-ever Pool A win against Canada 4-2, thanks mainly to two goals and an assist from Christian Pouget, but the Canadians, although not at full strength, shook off this upset to make the semifinals after knocking out the U.S. 4-1. Canada gave the host country a hard time in the first semifinal, eventually losing 3-2 in overtime in a match that revived memories of Sweden's penalty shoot-out victory over Canada in the previous year's Olympic final. The Czech Republic reached the second semifinal through a notable 2-0 quarterfinal triumph over Russia but, perhaps suffering from a letdown, then lost 3-0 to a dominant Finland. After pressing close for several years, Finland at last won its first title with a convincing 4-1 success against Sweden before a capacity crowd of 13,850 in Stockholm in the electric atmosphere of an all-Scandinavian final. The hero was Ville Peltonen, who scored three goals and had an assist on the fourth. Jarmo Myllys, outstanding in the Finnish net, was denied a shutout in the third period. Ironically, the victorious Finns were coached by a Swede, Curre Lindstrom, who had previously coached Sweden. The Americans, who ultimately placed sixth, gained the distinction in the preliminary stages of taking a point from each of the two finalists. Because the NHL started late, it coincided with the world championships; consequently, Canada and the U.S. were deprived of some star talent. However, there can be no doubt that the Finns were worthy winners, with the talent of their younger players suggesting more titles to come. Peltonen seemed likely to follow his teammates defender Marko Kiprusoff and centre Saku Koivu to the NHL. Canada gained the bronze medal by comfortably defeating the Czech Republic 4-1. Canada's Andrew McKim led the Pool A tournament scorers with 13 points (6 goals and 7 assists), followed by Peltonen with 11 (6 goals and 5 assists). After only one season in the top flight, the newly promoted Switzerland finished at the bottom of Pool A, to be replaced by Slovakia. With home-ice advantage, Slovakia won all its seven matches in the eight-team round-robin Pool B held in Bratislava. Only one year earlier Slovakia had topped Pool C. Runner-up Latvia, which lost only to the leaders, proved too strong for the other six Pool B competitors, of which Great Britain, demoted from Pool A the previous winter, narrowly avoided the humiliation of another demotion by finishing above last-place Romania. Belarus decisively clinched promotion to Pool B from the nine-team group one of Pool C, contested in Sofia, Bulg. Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Estonia filled the next three positions and suggested great potential. Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, eighth and ninth, respectively, were both demoted to group two of Pool C, to be replaced by Croatia, winner of the 10-team group two, contested in Johannesburg, South Africa. This group largely comprised nations relatively new to ice sports and apparently earmarked for a resurrected Pool D. The continuing emergence of such nations as Israel, South Africa, and Greece reflected the sport's worldwide expansion. Jokerit Helsinki of Finland won the 18th European Cup, open to national club champions, by beating Lada Togliatti of Russia 4-2 in the final in Helsinki, Fin. TPS Turku, also of Finland and competing as defending champion, finished third by overwhelming HC Olomouc of Czechoslovakia 8-1. (HOWARD BASS) ICE SKATING The worldwide expansion of ice skating continued in 1995 as Andorra, Cyprus, and Portugal increased the membership of the International Skating Union to 55 nations. JUDO The 1995 judo season got under way with the Paris International Tournament in February. The Japanese team led with six gold medals, while South Korea collected four, and France, Belgium, Poland, and Spain gained one each. Naoya Ogawa captured his sixth All-Japan Judo Championship on May 27 at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. In the World Student Games in Fukuoka, Japan, in August, Japan dominated the competition with eight gold, two silver, and four bronze medals. The major judo event of the year, however, was the world championships at Makuhari, Japan, September 29-October 1. No one country monopolized the medals, but South Korea, Japan, Cuba, and The Netherlands excelled. Monique van der Lee of The Netherlands took the women's open title, and Japan's Ryoko Tamura won in the women's 48-kg (106-lb) event. Toshihiko Koga, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist in the 71-kg (156-lb) class, captured the men's 78-kg (172-lb) title; David Douillet of France successfully defended his world title in the over-95-kg (209-lb) class; and Poland's Pavel Nastula won the 95-kg category. South Korea's Cho Min Sun and Jung Sung Sook won the women's 66-kg (145-lb) and 61-kg (134-lb) categories, respectively, while Chun Ki Young, the 78-kg world champion in 1993 and also from South Korea, won the men's 86-kg (189-lb) class. World champion Tamura extended her winning streak to 77 by taking the 48-kg title at the 13th Fukuoka international women's judo championships on December 10. Japan also won the 52-kg class when Noriko Sugawara pinned her Cuban opponent, but Jung Sun Yong of South Korea took the 56-kg title and Claudia Ziers of The Netherlands won the 66-kg class. Other winners were Noriko Anno of Japan in the over-72-kg class, Je Min Jung of South Korea in the 72-kg class, and Catherine Fleury of France in the 61-kg class. (ANDY ADAMS) LAWN BOWLS During 1995 lawn bowls continued to expand worldwide. The establishment of a World Bowls Council and increased representation at the world bowls outdoor championships at Adelaide, Australia, in March 1996 seemed certain to further this progress. Meanwhile, British players continued to dominate the sport. Andy Thomson, a Scot who had lived in and represented England since 1980, retained the world indoor singles championship at Preston, England, outbowling another Scotsman, Richard Corsie, in the final. Corsie, partnered by Alex Marshall, won the pairs title and a few weeks later had another notable success in Australia, winning the outdoor Mazda International Jack High singles competition in Sydney by defeating Australia's Cameron Curtis in the final. Scottish women players also excelled. Joyce Lindores captured the women's world indoor singles championship at Cumbernauld, Scotland, winning a best-of-five-sets encounter against Margaret Johnston, Ireland's world outdoor titleholder. Twelve countries took part in the Atlantic Rim Outdoor Women's Games at Durban, South Africa. The South Africans captured the gold medal in singles, pairs, and triples, but Scotland deprived them of a clean sweep by taking the fours. (DONALD J. NEWBY) RODEO In June 1995 Ty Murray, the six-time world all-around champion from Stephenville, Texas, tore the posterior cruciate ligament of his right knee at a Professional Bull Riding (PBR) competition in Rancho Murieta, Calif. Clint Branger of Roscoe, Mont., sustained a neck injury while riding a bull on September 30 at the New Mexico State Fair and Rodeo in Albuquerque. Neither Murray nor Branger was able to compete at the season-ending $3 million National Finals Rodeo (NFR), held December 1-10 in Las Vegas, Nev. Bull rider Richard ("Tuff") Hedeman's comeback season came to an abrupt halt on October 15 when Bucking Bull of the Year Bodacious collided with the three-time world champion's face during the PBR Tour Finals in Las Vegas. Hedeman, of Morgan Mill, Texas, underwent reconstructive surgery to repair damaged facial bones and was able to return to competition in time for the NFR. At the NFR Hedeman again drew the fearsome bull but chose not to ride it. Scott Breding of Edgar, Mont., tried Bodacious in the ninth round, and the bull raised its massive head in mid jump and clobbered the rider with stunning force, knocking him unconscious. Sammy Andrews, the owner of Bodacious, decided to retire the bull from competition following the accident. With Murray temporarily out of contention for the all-around title, Joe Beaver of Huntsville, Texas, won the coveted championship, which is awarded to the cowboy winning the most money in two or more standard rodeo events. Beaver, a five-time calf-roping world champion, won the 1995 all-around title with season earnings of $141,753. World titles in seven standard professional rodeo events--bareback riding, steer wrestling, calf roping, saddle bronc riding, women's barrel racing, team roping, and bull riding--were also decided at the NFR. Marvin Garrett of Belle Fourche, S.D., scored 775 points on 10 horses to claim top honours among the field of 15 NFR bareback riders and finished the year with record earnings of $156,733. It was Garrett's fourth bareback riding world title. Dan Mortensen of Manhattan, Mont., claimed his third straight world championship in the saddle bronc riding with earnings of $145,325. Calf roper Fred Whitfield of Hockley, Texas, was another repeat world champion, staving off the attack of Beaver by winning $58,183 at the NFR to finish the season with $146,760. Other PRCA world titlists for 1995 were: Ote Berry, Checotah, Okla., $117,987, steer wrestling; Sherry Potter-Cervi, Marana, Ariz., $157,172, barrel racing; Allen Bach, Toltec, Ariz., and Bobby Hurley, Ceres, Calif., $81,658 each, team roping; and Jerome Davis, Archdale, N.C., $135,280, bull riding. (GAVIN FORBES EHRINGER) Events of 1997 Events of 1996 Events of 1994 Events of 1993 ROWING The United States and Italy were the most successful nations in world rowing in 1995, with each winning a total of five titles. Following with double successes each were Germany, Great Britain, Denmark, Canada, and Australia. The remaining winners were Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and Sweden. In the world championships at Tampere, Fin., the standard was exceptionally high, with 22 countries sharing the medals. Eight of the reigning champions retained their titles in the 24 events. The margin of victory was less than two seconds in 15 races, and the biggest winning margin was little more than three seconds. Italy took the honours in men's events with three wins. It narrowly defeated Great Britain by 0.61 sec to retain the coxless fours and successfully defended the quadruple sculls by 1.54 sec against Germany. Its third triumph, in coxed pairs, was achieved more comfortably, by 2.86 sec. The U.S. was 1.15 sec too fast for New Zealand in coxed fours but lost its eights title to Germany, with The Netherlands taking second place. Great Britain triumphed for the third consecutive year in coxless pairs, while Denmark and Germany foiled Norway's bid to retain the double sculls. In single sculls Iztok Cop (Slovenia) unexpectedly captured the title by the slender margin of 0.55 sec from the 1990 champion, Juri Jaanson (Estonia). Only seven weeks earlier Cop had lost to Jaanson by 1.14 sec in the World Cup final in Lucerne, Switz. In the men's lightweight events, Italy won two more titles. It retained the coxless pairs and defeated Denmark, the defending champion, by 1.37 sec in coxless fours. Great Britain and Australia successfully defended their titles in the single and quadruple sculls, respectively, but Denmark foiled Great Britain's bid to retain the eights by 2.25 sec. Switzerland beat Sweden by 1.27 sec to become the first winner of the new double sculls event. The U.S. was foremost in the women's events. It defeated Germany by 1.60 sec in coxless fours and Romania by 2.03 sec in eights but lost to Australia by 2.20 sec in coxless pairs. Canada narrowly defeated The Netherlands by 0.08 sec in double sculls, and the other winners were Germany (quadruple sculls) and Sweden (single sculls). In lightweight classes the U.S. won twice over Great Britain, by 1.26 sec in coxless fours and by more than 3 sec in coxless pairs. Australia took the single sculls, while Canada retained the double sculls by a margin of 0.83 sec over Denmark. In the under-23 international championships in Groningen, Neth., nine nations shared the honours in 18 classes. Germany won three of the men's titles, Great Britain claimed two, and Australia, Denmark, Italy, Slovenia, Sweden, and Yugoslavia gained one apiece. Germany dominated the seven women's events with five wins, leaving Romania and Sweden to take the other titles. Germany won 9 of the 14 gold medals in the world junior championships in Poznan, Poland. Australia took two titles, and France, Denmark, and Italy won one each. The minor medals were shared by 17 nations, including three each for Croatia and Spain. At the Henley Royal Regatta in England, there were five overseas winners and 24 new records. In eights the Grand Challenge Cup went to San Diego (Calif.) Training Center, and there was a second success for the U.S. by Augusta (Ga.) Training Center in quadruple sculls. Australia triumphed in the double sculls, while Jaanson captured the Diamond Challenge Sculls. Oarsmen from seven countries rowed in the 141st University Boat Race, which Cambridge won by four lengths to lead Oxford 72-68 in the series. (K.L. OSBORNE) SAILING (YACHTING) At the start of 1995, the Sydney-Hobart classic was won by Raptor, a new Bashford-Howison 41 production boat launched just in time for the race. Owned and skippered by Andreas Eichenauer of Germany, Raptor was designed by Iain Murray and Associates. Second overall was the 1994 winner, Ninety Seven, a Farr 47, skippered by Andrew Strachan. Also at the start of the year, Isabelle Autissier of France was being airlifted to safety from her stricken and sinking yacht Ecureuil Poitou-Charentes 2 some 1,445 km (900 mi) southwest of Adelaide, Australia. Competing in the BOC Round-the-World Challenge, she had earlier won the first leg of this race by an amazing 5 1/2 days. The winner of the race, for solo sailors, was Christophe Auguin of France in Sceta Calberson. New Zealand first challenged for the America's Cup in 1987 and had competed vigorously ever since, clearly learning from each challenge. Led in 1995 by Peter Blake (see BIOGRAPHIES), with Russell Coutts as his handpicked skipper, Team New Zealand's Black Magic appeared to be a winner from the day she was launched in mid-1994. She swept to victory in the challenge selection series for the Louis Vuitton Cup, losing only one race on the water in 43 starts. The America's Cup series was a completely one-sided affair, as the New Zealand yacht was too good in almost every way for U.S. defender Dennis Conner and his team in Young America. The New Zealanders' 5-0 victory allowed them to celebrate one of their finest hours in sports. The match had been partially overshadowed by a variety of rule changes that many claimed to favour Conner, and in the aftermath of victory Blake revealed that he hoped to clarify the controversial cup rules before the next series, which probably would begin in March 2000 in Auckland, N.Z. In the Admiral's Cup competition off the southern coast of the U.K., only eight teams entered. The Nordic countries were allowed to compete as one Scandinavian team, and the British home team only just made it to the starting line after a frantic last-ditch effort by Robin Aisher. The U.S. team set out in determined style, establishing a commanding lead over the Italians and Germans before the high-scoring last race, the 974-km (605-mi) Fastnet. In the first days of the race, during which conditions were tricky because of light winds, the Americans lost contact with their closest rivals, the Italians, who sailed their three yachts into top positions in each class. This won them the Admiral's Cup, with the U.S. second and Germany third. After the Cup competition, the format of the event was being actively questioned. Many believed that the time had come for radical change. For example, with so few yachts entering the competition, it seemed that three divisions might be excessive. Other questions that arose concerned premium scoring for some races and the appropriateness of technically advanced, very expensive designs. The voting at the year's end seemed to indicate that the same formula would be used for at least the next series. (ADRIAN JARDINE) SKIING Belief in global warming seemed to become unavoidable in skiing circles in 1995, when exceptionally warm winter weather played havoc with both competitive and leisure skiing. The long history of the International Ski Federation probably had never seen a more catastrophic season. Television ratings confirmed that viewers were not put off, however, because organizers somehow managed to transmit competitions at the times advertised, even though the events may have been held at a changed venue or in a different discipline. SQUASH Jansher Khan of Pakistan and Michelle Martin of Australia won the major squash championships in 1995. Both retained the world titles they had gained the previous year. Khan won a record-breaking seventh World Open title in November when he beat Del Harris of England in a tight final 15-10, 17-14, 16-17, 15-8 at Nicosia, Cyprus. It was not always easy for him, however, as he was handicapped by blisters on his feet and nearly withdrew, in pain, before the final. His foot problems forced him to sit out some matches in the men's world team championship, which immediately followed the World Open in Cairo. He returned, however, to lead Pakistan to an acrimonious semifinal win over Australia. They failed in the finals to retain their title, losing two matches to one to England. In June, Khan had announced he would no longer play in the British squash league. Playing in his first world championship, Mark Chaloner beat experienced Mir Zaman Gul in the deciding match to enable England to win the title for the first time. While Martin did acquire a third World Open title in Hong Kong in July, it was not a vintage year for the Australian. The world title match was itself a focus of controversy that arose over the quality of refereeing during Martin's semifinal match against Cassandra Jackman of England. During the summer Martin was beaten in Japan and South Korea by another Australian, Sarah FitzGerald, and bowed out of the semifinals of the Malaysian Open. Martin retained her top position in the world rankings, and FitzGerald moved far ahead of the rest of the contenders to take the second spot for the first time. The world junior women's championship took place in Sydney, Australia, during July. The home team took the title, beating England two matches to one in the final. The individual champion was Jade Wilson of New Zealand, who beat Rachael Grinham of Australia 9-3, 9-4, 9-7 in a 32-minute final. (ANDREW SHELLEY) SWIMMING In 1995, the year between the 1996 Olympic Games and the 1994 world championships, during which 10 world records were set, no one anticipated that there would be so few new records. Men swimmers could set only three in the 50-m Olympic-size pool, and women set none. On June 14 at Canet, France, Denis Pankratov of Russia swam the 200-m butterfly in 1 min 55.22 sec, breaking the record of 1 min 55.69 sec set by Mel Stewart of the U.S. in the 1991 world championships. At the European championships in Vienna on August 23, Pankratov lowered the oldest existing world record, swimming the 100-m butterfly in 52.32 sec to better by 0.52 sec the previous record set by Pablo Morales in 1986. At the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships on August 12 in Atlanta, Ga., the U.S. 4 100-m freestyle relay of David Fox, Joseph Hudepohl, Jonathan Olsen, and Gary Hall, Jr., set a world record of 3 min 15.11 sec, shattering by 1.42 sec the previous record set by the U.S. national team in the 1988 Olympic Games. The 1995 FINA (Fdration Internationale de Natation Amateur) Swimming World Cup for 25-m pools was contested in seven countries, beginning in Hong Kong January 3-4 and ending in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on February 19. In the men's competition at Sheffield, England, three world records were set. On February 11 Danyon Loeder of New Zealand lowered the mark in the 400-m freestyle to 3 min 40.46 sec, and Mark Foster of Great Britain swam the 50-m butterfly in 23.55 sec, a record he broke in December with a time of 23.45 sec. On February 12 Jeff Rouse of the U.S. set a record of 24.37 sec in the 50-m backstroke. At Gelsenkirchen on February 18, Mark Warnecke of Germany established a new mark of 27.00 sec in the 50-m breaststroke. Amy Van Dyken of the U.S. set a record of 26.73 sec for the 50-m butterfly at Espoo, Fin., on February 1. This time was bettered by Angela Kennedy of Australia, who swam the distance in 26.56 sec on February 12 at Sheffield. At Gelsenkirchen on February 18, Kennedy also set a 100-m butterfly record of 58.77 sec. U.S. swimmers dominated the Pan American Games at Mar del Plata, Arg., March 11-26, winning 22 gold, 15 silver, and 15 bronze medals and setting 10 Pan Am records. Canada followed with six gold, nine silver, and six bronze medals. Eight swimmers won two gold medals: Barbara Bedford, U.S., 100-m and 200-m backstroke (both new Pan Am records); Angel Martino, U.S., 50-m and 100-m freestyle; Trina Jackson, U.S., 800-m freestyle and 200-m butterfly; Joanne Malar, Canada, 200-m and 400-m individual medley; Lisa Flood, Canada, 100-m and 200-m breaststroke; Gustavo Borges, Brazil, 100-m (Pan Am record) and 200-m freestyle; Seth van Neerden, U.S., 100-m and 200-m breaststroke; and Curtis Myden, Canada, 200-m and 400-m individual medley. The U.S. won all six relays. A record number of 24 countries competed in the Pan Pacific championships, now open to all countries outside of Europe. In 34 events the U.S. won 42 medals--15 golds, 16 silvers, and 11 bronzes. Australia placed second with 13 golds, 12 silvers, and 9 bronzes. China was barred from the tournament because of the 1994 doping scandal, in which seven Chinese swimmers tested positive in drug tests. Men's double individual championship winners included Gary Hall, Jr., U.S., 50-m and 100-m freestyle; Thomas Dolan, U.S., 200-m and 400-m individual medley; Scott Miller, Australia, 100-m and 200-m butterfly; and Daniel Kowalski, Australia, 400-m and 800-m freestyle. The women's double winners were Brooke Bennett, U.S., 400-m and 1,500-m freestyle, and Susan O'Neill, Australia, 100-m and 200-m butterfly. The U.S. won four of the six relays. Thirteen records were set. The European championships in Vienna on August 22-27 were dominated by Germany (10 gold, 7 silver, and 7 bronze medals) and Russia (9 golds and 1 bronze). Franziska van Almsick, a 17-year-old from Germany, won five gold medals and one silver. She won the 400-m freestyle in 4 min 8.37 sec, the fastest time for 1995, and the 100-m freestyle in 55.34 sec. Germany, with van Almsick, won all three women's relays. Women double individual event winners were Kristina Egerszegi, Hungary, 200-m backstroke and 400-m individual medley; Brigitte Becue, Belgium, 100-m and 200-m breaststroke; Mette Jacobsen, Denmark, 100-m backstroke and 100-m butterfly; and Michelle Smith, Ireland, 200-m butterfly and 200-m individual medley. Smith's victories brought Ireland its first titles in the 69-year history of the championships. Pankratov was the outstanding male swimmer. In addition to his world record in the 100-m butterfly, he won the 200-m butterfly and joined teammates Vladimir Selkov, Andrey Korneyev, and Aleksandr Popov to win the 4 100 medley, setting a European record of 3 min 38.11 sec. Jani Sievinen of Finland set a European record of 1 min 58.61 sec in the 200-m individual medley. Sievinen also won the 200-m freestyle and 400-m individual medley. TABLE TENNIS In 1995 the table tennis world championships returned to China in two senses: they took place in Tianjin, and all seven events were won by China, as they had been in 1981. Thus ended Sweden's domination of the men's team event (in 1989, 1991, and 1993) and the run of European triumphs in the men's singles over the same period. The world champions were: men's singles, Kong Linghui; women's singles, Deng Yaping; men's doubles, Wang Tao and Lu Lin; women's doubles, Deng Yaping and Qiao Hong; mixed doubles, Wang Tao and Liu Wei; men's team, China; and women's team, China. Table tennis in the United States continued to advance as an increasing number of immigrants brought a new vitality to what had been more of a summer pastime for children than a serious sport. Half of the top 20 players in the United States had been born in China, and only one player on the men's national team, which finished third in the World Team Cup competition held in Atlanta, Ga., was born in the United States. The use of toxic glues for attaching rubber to the rackets continued to cause controversy. In the world championships Kim Taek Soo of South Korea was disqualified after the men's singles quarterfinal for having used a previously banned solvent. (TONY BROOKS) TENNIS During a fascinating year on the courts, Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf were reaffirmed as the outstanding singles competitors at the major tennis championships. Sampras won the Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles, and Graf celebrated victories at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. In addition, Mary Pierce, in Australia, and Thomas Muster (see BIOGRAPHIES), in France, added their names to the roll of Grand Slam singles champions. During the summer Monica Seles made a splendid return to the sport, demonstrating that she had lost none of the verve that had defined her performances as the world's top woman player before her career was interrupted when she was stabbed during a break in play in a match in April 1993. The New Professionals During 1995 more of the traditional barriers in sports between amateurs and professionals crumbled beneath the weight of commercial pressure. Chief among the sports to profit, or suffer, whichever way one looked at it, was Rugby Union. The World Cup in South Africa effectively marked the end of an era characterized by the old-fashioned idea that games should be played for fun. In truth, such countries as New Zealand, Australia, and France had been paying their players for years, and so, for all the cries of the diehards that the game would never be the same, the advent of professionalism was merely a recognition of the status quo, at least at the international level. Conversely, tennis, one of the most lucrative of all sports, put limits on its professionalism after the well-publicized troubles experienced by the teenage prodigy and 1992 Olympic Games singles champion Jennifer Capriati, who made her debut at the age of 13 but took leave from the tour after four years. The Women's Tennis Association, which ran the women's world tour, ruled that no girl would be allowed to play in a leading tournament before her 16th birthday. The new ruling did not apply to several young players who had already made their debuts or stated their intention of doing so. Even the Olympic Games, which had accepted the professional basketball players of the 1992 Dream Team and the expedient reinstatement of professional figure skaters to amateur status, found it increasingly difficult to compete with the lure of money. In 1995 Ukrainian figure skater Oksana Baiul (see BIOGRAPHIES), who had captured the 1993 world championship at age 15 and the Olympic gold medal less than a year later, announced that she would not seek to defend her Olympic title in 1998. The 17-year-old Baiul said she preferred the relative freedom of professional skating as much as the high fees paid for ice shows and professional competitions. The movement to professionalism in sports was so pervasive that 19-year-old golfer Eldrick ("Tiger") Woods attracted considerable attention during the year when he chose not to turn pro after winning his second U.S. amateur championship. (ANDREW LONGMORE) TRACK AND FIELD SPORTS (ATHLETICS) One year before the 1996 Olympic Games, track and field did not lack for championship-calibre competition. Foremost on the season's schedule was the outdoor world championships; the biennial event was staged in Gteborg, Sweden, in August. The other major tournament was the world indoor championships in Barcelona, Spain, in March. VOLLEYBALL The United States women's and men's volleyball teams reinforced their places among the world's elite following their impressive 1995 campaigns. The U.S. women posted more than 50 victories, including their first major international tournament championship in the $2 million World Grand Prix. Tara Cross-Battle of the U.S. won the Most Valuable Player honours during the five-week tournament, in which the U.S. triumphed in 14 of its 15 matches, including its final 12. Elaina Oden of the U.S. was named the best blocker during the competition. The U.S. men posted several major victories during the campaign, including three wins over world power Cuba and triumphs over reigning Olympic champion Brazil and defending world champion Italy. They also won a silver medal at the Pan American Games but failed to reach the play-offs in the $6 million World League. The team was anchored by three players from the 1992 Olympic bronze medal team, Bob Ctvrtlik, Scott Fortune, and Bryan Ivie. The U.S. men were seeking to capture their fourth successive Olympic medal in 1996 (they took golds in 1984 and 1988 in addition to the 1992 bronze). World Cup competition took place late in the year in Japan. At the men's tournament in Tokyo, Italy defeated the U.S. 15- 8, 15-5, 15-4 to clinch the championship and become the first country to earn an invitation to compete in the sport in the 1996 Olympic Games. The women's tournament, held in Osaka, was won by Cuba. Beach volleyball was to make its Olympic Games debut in Atlanta, Ga., in 1996. The U.S. and Brazil appeared to be the strongest teams. (RICHARD S. WANNINGER) WEIGHT LIFTING For the first time, China dominated both the men's and women's competition in the 1995 world weight lifting championships. The championships were held for the first time in Asia, at Guangzhou (Canton), China. In the men's events China won two gold, one silver, and two bronze medals for total lifts and scored 359 points in the team competition, placing all 10 of its lifters in the top 15 for the snatch, clean and jerk, and total lifts. Greece won three gold medals; Russia won two; and Turkey, Cuba, and Ukraine gained one each. Both Greece and Russia earned five medals overall. Naim Suleymanoglu of Turkey won his seventh world title. He tied with Valerios Leonidis of Greece in the 64-kg (141-lb) class but was awarded first place because of his lower body weight. Similarly, Kahki Kakhiasvillis of Greece won the 99-kg class over Russia's Sergey Syrtsov because of a lower body weight. In the women's events China won five gold and three silver medals. The other gold medals went to Taiwan with two and to India and Hungary with one each. In addition to Suleymanoglu, the only other 1994 champions to repeat were Russia's Aleksey Petrov in the 91-kg division and Cuba's Pablo Lara in the 76-kg class. (CHARLES ROBERT PAUL, JR.) WRESTLING The United States served as host for the 1995 freestyle wrestling world championships, held in Atlanta, Ga., on August 10-13. The host country took first place with 71 points and four gold medals. Iran placed second with 59 points and one gold. Russia was third with 58 points, followed by Turkey with 35 points and Cuba with 34 points. Valentin Jordanov of Bulgaria won his seventh world championship. The Greco-Roman world championships took place in Prague on October 12-15. Russia won with 75 points, and Germany followed with 39 points. Russian heavyweight Aleksandr Karelin won his seventh world championship. The freestyle World Cup took place in Chattanooga, Tenn., on April 7-8. The U.S. won its third straight dual meet title by defeating Russia in the final match 20-19 and gained a total of 10 team points. Russia scored 8 points, Turkey 6, Iran 4, and Canada 2. The 65th U.S. collegiate championships were held in Iowa City, Iowa, on March 16-18. Winning the team title was host school Iowa with 134 points and one champion. Winning his third collegiate title was North Carolina's T.J. Jaworsky at 60.8 kg (134 lb). (JOHANNA SCHNEIDER)