6 August 2003

Félix Sánchez revs the crowds
Félix Sánchez was yesterday’s star, when he ran in the qualifying round
of the 400-meter hurdles. Sánchez outdid the other competitors in his
heat by a comfortable margin. The ultra-nationalistic runner took it
easy at the end of the race, delighting equally enthusiastic crowds by
proudly flaunting the words “Dominican Republic” on his running attire.
Sánchez is the country’s best hope for gold at these Pan Am Games and
has told the press that it is a nice change to compete with the crowds
in his favor. As the reigning 400m hurdles world champion, he is also
one of the four athletes to have shared the IAAF Golden League Jackpot
last year.
In the hurdles event, Félix Sánchez stopped the clock at 48.99,
followed by Regan Nichols of the US (50.01) and Eronildes Araujo, the
three-time Pan American champion from Brazil, in third place. The
finals will take place today at 7:35pm at the Olympic Stadium.

As reported in El Caribe, Sports Minister Cesar Cedeño said that the
doors of the Olympic Stadium may possibly be opened to admit any and
all Dominicans who want to watch Sánchez compete. Sanchez has asked for
a full stadium.

DR to get at least silver in basketball
The Dominican Republic’s basketball team defeated Puerto Rico (79-65)
yesterday, and now gears up to meet Brazil for the gold tonight at 9 pm
at the Palacio de los Deportes of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
This is the first time the DR team has had such a chance.
The DR also had a good day in baseball, defeating the Bahamas.
Following Nicaragua’s victory over the US, in a game at which
Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolaños was in attendance, the DR remains
in the running for a medal. The Dominicans and Nicaraguans will meet
next to compete for first place in Group B. El Caribe reports that
after the game, star player Luis Polonia posed for about 10 minutes
with the players of the losing Bahamian team.

Excessive security
Excessive security measures such as frisking of fans and the
militarization of the sports venues, long ticket lines and the black
market are the complaints being blamed for a lessened flow of visitors
to the Games.
Parking continues to be a headache, with ServiPark charging RD$80 on
weekends and RD$60 on weekdays, but clearly indicating on their tickets
that they were not responsible for the car they parked.

Accreditation for the press advanced slowly, with El Caribe reporting
that yesterday – five days after the start of the Games – its reporters
were officially recognized. Hoy newspaper speculates on whether these
delays could be attributable to the organizers’ desire to gain revenge
on the media for its criticisms leading up to the Games.
 

Source: http://dr1.com

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