IOC Begins Studying Cities Hoping to Stage 1992 Olympic Games

The International Olympic Committee has set up a commission to study the cities bidding for the 1992 Olympics, Monique Berlioux, outgoing director and chief executive officer, said at a press conference Wednesday in East Berlin.

The nine-member commission--split into three geographical groups--will visit New Dehli, Brisbane, Amsterdam, Belgrade, Barcelona, Paris and a still-to-be chosen British city.

In other developments, Berlioux officially resigned from the IOC, ending several days of backstage squabbling at the group’s annual session.

There was no official statement from the nine-member IOC executive board, headed by Juan Antonio Samaranch of Spain, which had demanded Berlioux’s resignation Sunday. Samaranch scheduled a news conference for today.

The IOC elected Zhenliang He of China and Marc Hodler of Switzerland to the executive board, which now consists of 11 members.

Michael Spinks will make the 10th defense of his light-heavyweight title tonight at Las Vegas against Diamond Jim MacDonald.

MacDonald, undefeated in 16 fights and winner of 15 of those by knockout, is such a decided underdog against Spinks (26-0) that most sports books did not post odds on the scheduled 12-round bout.

Spinks will earn $150,000, MacDonald $50,000.

Three men have been arrested in Paris in connection with the alleged forgery of an estimated 3,000 tickets to the French Open tennis tournament, officials said. The tickets were sold for $10 apiece.

About 100 of the fake tickets were discovered at the Roland Garros grounds last Friday, and 1,200 more were found at the house of a man who is alleged to have organized the swindle.

A lighted cigarette, dropped into trash that had accumulated since the 1960s, might have caused a fire that killed 54 people at a British soccer stadium last month, a public inquiry was told.

At the opening session of the inquiry in the northern England city of Bradford, where the fire occurred May 11, inquiry lawyer Andrew Collins said that a burning object, possibly a cigarette, had fallen through the grandstands into the trash below.

Evidence uncovered in the Pittsburgh federal grand jury investigation into drug trafficking showed that cocaine was sold to baseball players in virtually every National League city, Sports Illustrated reported in its June 10 issue.

The magazine quoted unspecified law enforcement officials as saying that drug deals involving ballplayers were so routine “that those who cooperated in the investigation often had trouble providing specific information about transactions.�

In some cases, SI said, “athletes were able to pin down sales by recalling who the opposing pitcher was on a given date.�

Seven Pennsylvania men were charged with 165 drug violations Friday in indictments returned by the grand jury after a 14-month investigation. More than a dozen ballplayers--most under grants of immunity--were called to testify before the panel. No players were named in the indictments.

Veterans Cullen Bryant and Don Dufek were released by the Seattle Seahawks, who also announced that they have reached a contract agreement with free agent cornerback Ray Griffin, a seven-year veteran with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Griffin, 29, a second-round draft choice from Ohio State, was cut by the Bengals after the 1984 season. He is the brother of former two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin and the Washington Redskins’ Keith Griffin.

Bryant, 34, a fullback, and Dufek, 31, a safety, played 12 and eight seasons in the NFL, respectively. Bryant played 10 seasons with the Rams and two with Seattle. Dufek spent all eight of his professional seasons in Seattle.

A new $1-million professional golf tournament will have a unique format--neither medal nor match play--PGA Commissioner Deane Beman said.

The event, The International, is to be played Aug. 13-17, 1986, at the Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colo.

“It’s a points-par system, in which points are awarded for pars, birdies and eagles,� Beman said.

Names in the News

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed outfielder Barry Bonds, their No. 1 selection in this week’s free-agent baseball draft. Bonds, 20, is the son of former major leaguer Bobby Bonds.

Ryne Sandberg, the National League’s most valuable player last season, will be lost to the Chicago Cubs for at least a week because of strained cartilage in his rib cage.