Nigerian Soccer Team Scores A First With 3-2 Win

In a fitting ending to a superb Olympic tournament, Nigeria lifted Africa to the top of the soccer world for the first time.

No African nation had won a major international competition. The colorful, entertaining Nigerians took care of that with a 3-2 upset of Argentina for the gold medal thanks to an 89th minute goal by Emmanuel Amunike at Athens, Ga.

They did it by beating favored Brazil and Argentina in the only way they know.

The triumph came six months after the Nigerians were banned for the next two African Nations Cup competitions for not defending their title in South Africa. The players wanted to go, but were pulled out by Nigeria’s military government in a political row with the host nation.

This time the Nigerian players made a public show of appreciation to their Olympic hosts. On their lap of honor, they carried a huge banner which read: “Thank you for your support. We love you all. Nigerian Eagles 1996.”

Closing extravaganza

The Summer Games of 1996, the biggest ever, end tonight in an explosion of fireworks, country music and rock ‘n’ roll, and in the quiet ceremonies of Olympic tradition.

Late in the closing show, which begins at 6 p.m. PDT, the voices and instruments of B.B. King, Little Richard, Wynton Marsalis, Tito Puente, Gloria Estefan and others will fill the Olympic Stadium with the sounds of a 20-minute “Southern Jamboree.”

The end of the jam session will cue thousands of Olympic athletes to leave the stands and pour onto the field, in a milling mass of nationalities, for a final half-hour concert.

Izzy, the Games’ mascot, an undistinguished blue blob with big eyes and an alleged appeal for small children, was maligned for months as a design disaster and was left out of the opening ceremony July 19. He did not receive an invitation to tonight’s event either.

Breakfast for five

Barring last-minute changes, Wheaties is expected to announce today five Olympic boxes coming to a store near you.

The selections are expected to be:

Runner Michael Johnson, decathlete Dan O’Brien, shortstop Dot Richardson, swimmer Tom Dolan, and the Magnificent Seven, the U.S. women’s gymnastics team starring Kerri Strug and Shannon Miller.

Doping decision made

An arbitration panel reached a verdict on Russia’s appeal against the doping expulsions of two medal-winning athletes but postponed an announcement until today.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport came to a decision on the cases of 200-meter breaststroke swimmer Andrei Korneyev and 105-1/2-pound Greco-Roman wrestler Zafar Gulyov, who were stripped of bronze medals after testing positive for the stimulant bromantan.

Two other Russians, swimmer Nina Zhivanevskaya and sprinter Marina Trandenkova, and a Lithuanian cyclist were disqualified over the same drug. They are the only five positive doping cases announced during the games so far.

Russian Olympic officials offered to halt use of the drug bromantan if the IOC reinstated Russian athletes caught using the substance at the games.

Pepsi-pushing prohibited

A gold-medal winner from Costa Rica could face sanctions from the International Olympic Committee for wearing Pepsi and other ad logos.

A spokeswoman for the IOC said swimmer Claudia Poll, the first gold medalist from Costa Rica, is being investigated for violating the ban on advertising inside venues.

“There is an investigation going on at the present time,” spokeswoman Michele Verdier said.

The IOC reportedly has not ruled out the possibility that Poll could be stripped of her medal.

Poll wore the logos of Pepsi, a Costa Rican TV station and another unidentified company on her swimming cap.

IOC rules state that the only logo on the uniform can be that of the manufacturer during competition or related ceremonies.

From the Devers’ nail file

Gail Devers’ trademark nails were nowhere to be seen during the 400 relay Saturday night.

No, she hadn’t cut her long fingernails - she wrapped them in white tape so she wouldn’t slice them on her teammates’ hands while passing the baton.

Devers won’t let anyone measure her nails, but they’re so long that they curl around. She has to scrunch her fingers at the start of a race instead of spread her fingers out so her nails won’t break.

Devers ran the second leg as the U.S. team won the gold medal.