Korea hot favourite in archery

SYDNEY, SEPT. 15. Roundup from archery to wrestling:

Archery: The US has dominated the men's competition since archery returned to the Olympics in 1972, winning six gold medals in the period. At 21, Justin Huish won the individual competition in Atlanta and led the US to victory in the team event but he will not have the chance to repeat his success in Sydney due to legal problems.

Simon Needham is Britain's competitor in the men's event but Korea is the favourite to take gold despite its problems with the wind last September at the Sydney International Golden Arrow, the on-site Olympic test event that attracted the majority of the world's finest archers. Should the wind affect the less robust archers, France's Lionel Torres and Italy's Michele Frangili are expected to beat the somewhat smaller Koreans.

Badminton: Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat, 19, is aiming to become the youngest ever winner of the men's individual badminton gold medal in Sydney. Hidayat, the No. 1 seed, won back-to-back titles in his native Grand Prix and at the Malaysian Open this year and is hoping to add to Indonesia's total of four gold medals in the Olympics.

Indonesia and China traditionally dominate the sport with athletes from Asian countries winning 14 of the 15 medals on offer at Atlanta in 1996. Denmark has also emerged as a power in the sport, with Peter Gade Christiensen as one of its leading players. Jo Goode and Donna Kellogg are Britain's best hope in the women's doubles, as are Simon Archer and Chris Hunt in the men's doubles. Archer and Goode also join up in the mixed.

Baseball: For the first time in Olympic history, professional baseball players are eligible to play. The change is likely to affect the Cubans, who won baseball's first two Olympic gold medals in 1992 and 1996 and every world championship since 1974.

Basketball: The US is once again clear favourite in the men's event. Since professionals were allowed to enter in 1992 - when the Americans paraded their `Dream Team' of Michael Jordan amd Magic Johnson - they have rarely had any competition. Australia is the dark horse with NBA players Luc Longley and Chris Anstey, while Lithuania and Yugoslavia will be looking to make an upset. The women's event is a much more open affair. The US team is the reigning champion but is expected to face stiff opposition from Brazil, Russia and Australia.

Cycling: Jason Queally represents Britain in the Kilometre event and, though Britain has won only one gold medal in the last 80 years, he is thought to have an outside chance. Queally will then join Scots Craig MacLean and Chris Hoy in the Olympic sprint, an event in which they gained Britain's first medal, a silver, at the world championships, last year. Chris Boardman, in his final Olympics, will be looking for a good send-off in the time trial.

Equestrian: In both dressage and jumping, Germany is the defending champion and it is once again tipped to do well in Sydney. It is likely to face opposition from other European nations but the US could also prosper. In the individual jumping event, Brazil's Roderigo Pessoa is a favourite after his good form over the last two years. Britain's hopes have been hit by Rodney Powell breaking his ankle last week.

Fencing: Having evolved from the ancient sport of combat, fencing is one of only four sports that has featured at every modern Games. Over the years the clothing has become so protective that officials modified the masks a few years ago so that spectators could see more of the face. Stricter safety standards have been in force since the 1982 Games when the Soviet Union's Vladimir Smirnov, the Olympic foil gold medallist, died after an opponent's sword pierced his mask.

Gymnastics: China is the favourite for the artistic men's team event as world champion. It faces competition from Russia, which boasts the individual all-round world champion Nikolai Kryukov as well as Aleksei Bondarenko and Aleksei Nemov. In women's, the US team cannot be ignored. The team includes Domninique Dawes and Amy Chow, two of the `Magnificent Seven' who helped the US to its first Olympic team gold in Atlanta.

Hockey: Australia has dominated women's hockey for most of the past decade, winning Olympic gold in 1988 and 1996, the last two World Cups and five successive Champions Trophies. South Korea, Argentina, Holland, and Germany should offer a strong challenge. The host is also a leading contender in the men's tournament, with Holland, the defending Olympic champion tipped to make it to the medal rounds.

Judo: The Japanese, unsurprisingly, have dominated this event over the years. Women's judo was added to the Olympic programme in 1992.

Modern pentathlon: A former World Cup winner and European champion, Kate Allenby is regarded as one of the best horsewomen in the sport and is consistent in all five disciplines. She was also a leading member of the competitor's delegation that lobbied, after Atlanta, for the inclusion of the women's event at Sydney.

Shooting: Much is expected of Richard Faulds, whose speciality is double-trap clays. Faulds finished fifth at Atlanta and broke the world record, also in Atlanta, in 1998. China, though, is strong in this category. In Wang Yifu it has a highly decorated competetitor after winning gold in Barcelona and silver in Atlanta. Italy also has a strong team in Roberto Di Donna and Vagilio Fait.

Weightlifting: For the first time, women's weightlifting has been added to the programme, with China the dominant force, though Hungary's Maria Takacs has the most world titles to her name. Naim Suleymanoglu, hailed as the greatest, has come out of retirement to bid for his fourth Olympic Gold.

Wrestling: The US cannot be accused of not taking this event seriously for its main competitors have been to court to decide who should be in the team. The conflict has been between Matt Lindland and Keith Sieracki, the former winning his case after arguing he was tripped during the Olympic trials in Dallas. The code of fair play is important in an event where competitors must have their fingernails checked beforehand, be cleanly shaven unless the beard is several months old and must wear a handkerchief to wipe away blood, saliva and nasal discharge. Europeans have dominated in recent years with the Russian, Alexander Karelin, looking to become the first man to win four straight golds in the event.

- Copyright, Telegraph Group Ltd., London, 2000.

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