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Torch relay for 2010 Olympics rethought

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 10 (UPI) -- The international Olympic torch run for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, will be minimal, officials told CTV News.

John Furlong, chief executive officer of the Vancouver Olympic Committee, said in a statement the torch will visit 1,000 cities across Canada in the 100 days leading up to the Winter Games, but the international angle will be negligible.

"It was not our intention to develop an international relay route," he said.

The network said the news followed protests that disrupted the run for the 2008 Beijing games in London, Paris and San Francisco.

The International Olympic Committee is scheduled to meet Friday to determine the future of the runs after the 2010 games although it has already ruled out canceling this year's events.

Protesters calling for China to end its occupation of Tibet turned the torch's runs in Paris and London into shambles, and the Wednesday run in San Francisco was shortened and altered to avoid skirmishes.

Marion Jones' teammates lose medals

BEIJING, April 10 (UPI) -- The women who teamed with admitted steroids user Marion Jones in two relay races at the 2000 Olympic Games have been stripped of their medals.

The International Olympic Committee made the decision Thursday during its meeting in Beijing, the site of the 2008 games.

The executive board took away the gold medals won by Jearl-Miles Clark, Monique Hennagan, LaTasha Colander-Richardson and Andrea Anderson in the 4x400 meters.

Chryste Gaines, Torri Edwards, Nanceen Perry and Passion Richardson were stripped of their bronze medals in the 4x100 meters.

Jones is serving a six-month federal prison sentence after admitting her use of steroids and her involvement in a check fraud scheme this year. Last December, she was stripped of her team medals, as well as the individual gold medals she had won in the 100 meters and 200 meters and a bronze in the long jump.

The United States Olympic Committee has been asked to return to the international committee all medals and diplomas awarded to the athletes involved.

O.J. Mayo to enter NBA Draft

LOS ANGELES, April 10 (UPI) -- Freshman USC guard O.J. Mayo says he will enter his name into June's NBA draft after spending one season at the Pacific-10 school.

The 6-foot-5 inch Huntington, West Va., native was a First Team Pac-10 selection.

In the 2007-08 season, Mayo had per game averages of 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists while starting all 33 contests.

"This comes as no surprise," Coach Tim Floyd said in a statement after Mayo made his decision public late Wednesday. "We are appreciative of everything O.J. did for all of us and I have no doubt that he will be a great professional."

Mayo joins a growing list of underclassmen making the same decision this week.

Also on the list are West Virginia junior forward Joe Alexander, Indiana freshman guard Eric Gordon, and sophomore forward Chase Budinger of Arizona.

All can return next season if they don't hire an agent.

Davydenko to miss Davis Cup match Friday

MOSCOW, April 10 (UPI) -- Nikolay Davydenko will not play singles on Friday when Russia faces the Czech Republic in Moscow in the 2008 Davis Cup quarterfinals.

The No. 4 player in the most recent world rankings will miss the match against against Radek Stepanek because Coach Shamil Tarpischev says he needs time to recover from jet lag and to adapt to clay-court conditions.

"There was a tactical reason for my choice," Tarpischev said Thursday.

Davydenko arrived in Moscow Wednesday after playing in the two-week Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

That event was played on hard courts.

He beat Spain's Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-2 in the title match Sunday.

On Friday, two-time Grand Slam winner Marat Safin meets Tomas Berdych and Davydenko's replacement, Igor Andreev, plays Radek Stepanek.

In Saturday's doubles, Davydenko and Mikhail Youzhny face Lukas Dlouhy and Pavel Vizner and Sunday's reverse singles matches pit Andreev against Berdych and Safin against Stepanek.

Russia was last year's Davis Cup runner-up to the United States.