Ice skating: Baiul in alcohol clinic decks

OKSANA BAIUL, the 1994 Olympic women's figure skating champion, has entered a rehabilitation clinic to treat a chronic alcohol problem, a spokesman has said.

Baiul, the 21-year-old Ukrainian, agreed to seek treatment last week, according to a spokesman for her New York publicity agency.

Police said Baiul was driving drunk last year after a car accident near Hartford, Connecticut, in which her car skidded off the road after travelling at speeds above 100 mph.

Baiul, who was then under the state's legal drinking age, did not contest a reduced charge and part of her sentence included entering an alcohol education programme.