10 Points to watch in 2000 Sydney Olympics

The 2000 Sydney Olympics is only a week away. Sports lovers may enjoy the largest global sporting extravaganza more efficiently by focusing on some specific points to watch. Here are Dong-A Ilbo`s top 10 points to watch in the first Summer Games of the New Millennium.

-- South Korea reaching the top 10 in gold medal standings for the fifth consecutive time:

Will the South Korean delegation be able to attain its goal of finishing within the top 10 countries in the gold medal race? Domestic sports officials are optimistic these days and express strong confidence in achieving this goal. Some experts even upgraded the goal in such sports as taekwondo and wrestling.

-- Joint entry of South and North Korean delegations in the opening ceremony:

There still is a high possibility that the South and North Korean delegations will enter the stadium simultaneously.

-- Third bid for gold in marathon after the victories of Sohn Ki-Jung and Hwang Young-Jo:

Lee Bong-Joo will make virtually his last challenge for the gold at the Sydney Olympics. Lee set his best record this year of 2 hours, 7 minutes and 20 seconds, and is in good shape. Lee`s chances of gaining the gold are brighter than they were at any other time as the world`s top rankers such as Hallid Hanuci of the United States and world No. 1 Antonio Pinto of Portugal will be absent.

-- Will Korea be able to sweep all four golds at stake in taekwondo to keep its pride as the ¡°suzerain country¡± of the martial art?:

South Korea hopes to sweep all four gold medals at stake in taekwondo, which makes its debut as an official Olympic sport in Sydney. Experts see a high possibility of the winning spree, taking into consideration that Korean athletes are at the top of the world.

-- ¡°Dream Teams¡± set sail in baseball and soccer:

The South Korean baseball team is a strong candidate to win a medal, while its soccer team`s goal is to join the top eight. The baseball team is made up of top pro players and they are all out to win a medal by suspending the domestic pro league during the Olympic period. South Korea is expected to contest with the world¡¯s superpower Cuba, host Australia, its rival Japan and the United States composed of promising players from the Minor League for a berth of final four.

In soccer the first match in the group preliminaries against Spain slated for Sept. 14 is expected to determine whether South Korea can join the final eight. Two wins against one loss or one win and two draws in the preliminaries will enable it to advance to the quarterfinals.

Who will be the first gold medalist for Korea?:

The Korean national anthem may be heard first in Sydney in shooting. If sharpshooters blow out the gold medals, the first gold will most likely come in the archery field.

Will Marion Jones of the United States be able to harvest five golds?:

-- Marion Jones dream of becoming a world iron woman in the track and field will compete in 100m, 200m, long jump, 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay. A general prospect is that Jones with strong stamina and excellent mobility as a former baseball player, will win 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay with little difficulty. Yet, it is unclear whether she will get the gold in long jump and 4x400m relay.

Who is the final Olympic flame carrier?:

-- The Sacred Olympic flame lighted in Athens in Greece travels the longest 61,500km in the Olympic history from Athens to Sydney. But as before it is still unveiled who will light the flame at the stadium to open the Olympics.

War against drug at the Sydney Olympics

-- The International Olympic Committee has declared a war against drug abuse during the Sydney Olympics. Different from the doping test of medal winners and athletes chosen at random after games at the Atlanta Olympics, the test will be conducted against any time and any one during the Games period in Sydney.

Swimming War between the U.S. and Australia:

A total of 32 gold medals are at stake, including the fasted 50-meter freestyle. Host Australia which had devoted itself to training its swimmers is challenging the traditional powerhouse U.S.A.