More Objections Raised to Beijing’s Bid

Lawmakers urged Congress to formally oppose China’s bid for the 2000 Olympics, but the head of the U.S. Olympic Committee warned the action could backfire and even hurt Salt Lake City’s chances for the 2002 Winter Games.

“This notion of granting China, this despicable regime, the glory and the honor of holding the Olympics in the year 2000 is literally unthinkable,” Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Aviation.

Lantos is a sponsor of a House resolution urging rejection of Beijing’s candidacy for the Summer Games because of the Chinese government’s human rights record.

Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), who last month introduced a similar resolution in the Senate, told the panel it was wrong to give China “a huge propaganda victory while it routinely tortures and imprisons political dissidents, severely restricts freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, brutally suppresses religious practices and oppresses the native population of Tibet.”

But Leroy T. Walker, head of the U.S. Olympic Committee, warned that even a non-binding resolution “could easily trigger serious repercussions which would ultimately damage” the USOC and American athletes.

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Brasilia will not withdraw its bid for the 2000 Olympics, despite a suggestion from International Olympic Committee President Juan Samaranch that it abandon its candidacy.

Basketball

The Clippers’ search for a coach has expanded to include Hubie Brown, though the television commentator said he is not interested in the job.

General Manager Elgin Baylor has said he planned to name a successor for Larry Brown by the end of this week. Hubie Brown joins Del Harris and Bob Weiss as candidates.

Contacted several days ago at his home in Atlanta, Brown dismissed leaguewide speculation that he would join the Clippers after a lengthy absence from coaching. Asked if he would be interested, the former coach of the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks said: “I’m a television guy. . . . I retired a long time ago.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired forward Tyrone Hill from the Golden State Warriors for a 1994 first-round draft choice. . . . The Lakers signed rookie free agent Antonio Harvey, who averaged 18.3 points and 10.1 rebounds for Pfeiffer (N.C.) College last season. . . . The Clippers have hired Joe Safety as their vice president of communications.

Colleges

Four schools will compete in the new American West Conference this football season, Commissioner Vic Buccola said.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal State Northridge, Cal State Sacramento and Southern Utah will compete in football only in 1993 at the NCAA Division I-AA level. UC Davis will join as an associate member in that sport.

The conference will offer competition in eight additional men’s and women’s sports beginning with the 1994-95 academic year.

Baseball

The book “Marge Schott: Unleashed” erases any doubt about sentiments held by the owner of the Cincinnati Reds, a Jewish community leader said.

“She’s a bigot; she’s a racist; she’s articulated anti-black and anti-Semitic sentiments,” Michael Rapp, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, said of Marge Schott.

In February, baseball’s executive council suspended Schott for a year and fined her $25,000 for making slurs against blacks, Jews and Asians. Rich Levin, a spokesman for baseball’s executive council, declined comment on the book.

Miscellany

Wei-Chuan Chien of Taiwan scored 84 points in a 117-35 victory over Hong Kong in women’s basketball at the World University Games in Buffalo, N.Y. Wei-Chuan, a guard, was 30 for 67 from the field, including 15 for 37 from three-point range. . . . Martinique scored two second-half goals to get a 2-2 tie with Canada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer tournament at Mexico City. In the second game, Mexico and Costa Rica tied, 1-1. The elimination series for group B ends Sunday. Group A, playing at Dallas, continues today with Jamaica against Panama and the United States against Honduras.

The inaugural Christian High School All-Star football game, featuring 50 players from 21 schools, will be played at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Excelsior Stadium in Norwalk. . . . Looking for their first World TeamTennis victory, the Strings will play host to Jimmy Connors and the Phoenix Smash at 7:30 tonight at the Forum. . . . The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, with 22 homes games remaining, broke the Class-A California League attendance record of 218,444 against San Jose.

Obituaries

John Kiley, the organist who was the answer to the trivia question, “Who is the only man to play for the Boston Celtics, Bruins and Red Sox in one year?” died Thursday in Dover, N.H. He was 81. . . . Grayson O. Turney, former football and baseball coach at Venice High, died in Torrance on Tuesday at 89.