Iraqi and Italian soccer players will wear black armbands during tonight's Olympic bronze medal match, in honour of an Italian journalist killed in Iraq. Militants kidnapped and killed freelance journalist Enzo Baldoni after threatening to execute him if Italy did not withdraw its 3,000 troops from Iraq. The game, in the northern city of Thessaloniki, will be preceded by a minute of silence.

As cross-country cycling competition got underway on Mount Parnitha near Athens today, Norway's Gunn-Rita Dahle edged out Canada's Marie-Helene Premont for the gold medal - Norway's first cycling gold in 32 years. Germany's world champion Sabine Spitz took the bronze. And five-time world cup winner Mette Andersen of Denmark had to pull out when she had a reaction to a bad bee sting.

Germany's Birgit Fischer won her eighth Olympic gold here in Athens, taking her crew to victory in the K4 500-metre kayak final. She started her medal collection at the Moscow Games in 1980, and has a chance to win her ninth medal in tomorrow's K2 event. The only other female Olympian with nine medals is Ukrainian gymnast Larissa Latynina. Canoeing and kayak gold was also won today by Germany's C2 men, as well as Sweden, Norway, Spain and Hungary.

British boxer Amir Khan will face Kazhakstan's Serik Yeleuov tonight in the biggest fight of his young career. It's the semifinal of the Olympic lightweight competition, and the 17-year-old has had three impressive victories reaching this point. He's already guaranteed a bronze medal, but if he wins gold on Sunday he'd become the youngest Olympic boxing champion in 52 years.

Hungary struck gold in today's women's modern pentathlon competition as Zsuzsanna Voros became the Olympic champion, leaving Latvia's Jelena Rublevska with silver and world number one Georgina Harland of Britain with bronze. Like the men's event, the modern pentathlon includes swimming, shooting, running, fencing and horse jumping.

But Hungary was also the centre of two new drug scandals here in Athens today. Hammer gold medallist Adrian Annus was asked submit another doping sample or risk losing his medal, even though he had already passed a test immediately after his victory. Apparently he has already returned to Hungary, which may violate regulations. Meanwhile, Ferenc Gyurkovics was stripped of his weightlifting silver medal for failing a test.

After the 10-metre platform diving preliminary round today, Mathew Helm's strong lead could earn Australia double Olympic gold in the event. Aussie Chantelle Newbery won the women's event on Sunday - Australia's first diving gold since 1924.

After winning her second Olympic gold medal, US women's football star Mia Hamm has announced her retirement from the sport. The 32-year-old is considered the women's player of her generation, a two-time FIFA world player of the year who has scored more goals in international matches than any other woman in history..

And finally, Athens police are reporting that the high visibility of the Olympic security force has lowered drop crime rates drastically. Only 300 petty thefts have been reported during the Games, compared to 3,000 at the Sydney Games.

PERSONAL NOTE: MEET THE PRESS

Having official Olympic accreditation has made a big difference in my ability to report on these Games, mostly because I've had access to the venues, sporting events, media facilities and press conferences for the first time. It's an ENR credential - meaning I'm a journalist (E is for Editorial) with a Non-Rights-holding agency (2KPlus didn't pay the IOC for the privilege of special access). I can't get in to high-demand events, and I'm not allowed to record anything in the venues - although I can take notes and talk with the competitors as much as I want, which makes a big difference when I'm doing a report later. As does being able to experience the atmosphere in the venues firsthand - helping me add energy and colour to my radio pieces.

The press set-up works on several levels. Officially, the hub of operation is the MPC (Main Press Centre), but there's very little I can do there besides attend press conferences and use the press transport system, which radiates out from the MPC (I find the city transport system more useful). There isn't internet access there - unless you have your own laptop and are willing to pay high per-minute rates. Much better for me is the Zappeion Press Centre set up by the city of Athens for visiting journalists. It has vast workspaces, free internet stations, free wireless broadband, helpful informational stands, a post office, Olympic gift shop and very reasonably priced cafes, including a superb ice cream stall! The only thing you pay for are broadcasting facilities (TV and radio studios, satellite uplinks, etc). They also have daily press conferences, plus a lot of events that involve free food, which is a sure way to any journalist's heart. Although the locals are shockingly adept at getting to the buffet and cleaning it out before we famished hacks have a chance!

Venue press centres vary from place to place. Some of the venues here have astonishingly well-designed systems that allow flow back and forth to the various zones easily. Others are a nightmare - impossible to get here and there, ludicrously complicated and disorganized, terribly ill-conceived and sometimes even inhibiting a journalist's ability to do the job! All have given us free water, whichi s essential in this weather. Press zones in each venue include a Media Work Room (computer workspace like the MPC - biographies and event results but no internet without your own computer), Media Lounge (a food stall like the ones out in the stadium, only quieter), Press Tribunes (banks of desks in the grandstands with TVs on them - handy for replays), Press Seats (sometimes superb, other times terrible), and the Mix Zone (where the competitors go after they compete - and we can talk to them while they're still sweaty, dripping wet, out of breath, whatever). It's an elaborate system designed to keep the media, the paying public, the Olympic officials and the competitors in their own zones, and I can understand why it's hard to set up well. But then, these are the Olympics - so they kind of have to get it right here, don't they?

[by Rich Cline]