Olympic Games: Reynolds is left out

BUTCH REYNOLDS, the United States' 400 metres runner banned for two years after a positive drugs test, has been dropped from the US Olympic Committee's list of entries for the Games in Barcelona.

Announcing its decision yesterday, a spokesman for the US committee, Bob Condron, confirmed that Reynolds would not be going to Spain unless the International Amateur Athletic Federation and the International Olympic Committee change their stance on the issue. 'By all indications that is not going to happen,' Condron said. 'They have been very firm on that point.'

Reynolds had originally been included on the US entry list, but the Barcelona committee maintained that he was ineligible to compete. The Americans tried to negotiate, but the IAAF, IOC and the Barcelona organisers refused to change their minds. 'We accepted that we had gone to the limit of what we could do,' Dr LeRoy Walker, the head of the American delegation, said.

Carl Lewis did not take part in the 100m won by Emmanuel Tuffour, of Ghana, in 10.32 seconds at a meeting in Ingolstadt, Germany, yesterday. However, he did run a 4 x 100m relay with his US Olympic team-mates even though he is unlikely to be picked for the event at the Barcelona Games.

Lewis and his Santa Monica Track Club colleagues, Mark Witherspoon, Leroy Burrell and Mike Marsh, took first place with a time of 38.12sec. A Canadian team of Ben Johnson, Glenroy Gilbert, Peter O'Gelvey and Anthony Wilson were second in 39.34sec.

Lewis qualified for a place as a substitute on the Olympic relay squad by finishing sixth in the American trials in New Orleans. But the chief track coach, Mel Rosen, said he did not plan to select the six-times Olympic champion after Lewis failed to qualify for either the 100 or 200 at the trials last month. However, Lewis will defend his long jump title at the Barcelona Games, starting on 25 July.