U.S. picks water polo teams

Women have 10 Olympic rookies

Brenda Villa and Heather Petri will lead the U.S. women's water polo team, and Tony Azevedo and Ryan Bailey head the men's squad at the Beijing Olympics.

Those four, all three-time Olympians, were on the 13-player teams announced Monday.

The women will go into the Games ranked No. 1 in the world. The United States took the silver in the 2000 Olympics and the bronze in 2004.

Natalie Golda is the only other player back from that 2004 team.

The women's roster includes 10 first-time Olympians; the team's average age is around 24.

Petri, at 30 the oldest player on the women's roster, likes the team's blend of youth and experience and says the younger players will really spark the team.

"They are really talented; I can't wait to see them playing," Petri said.

BUSH OKS FIREARMS SHIPMENTS: President Bush on Monday lifted restrictions to allow firearms to be shipped to China for U.S. athletes competing in shooting events at the Olympic Games.

Bush also cleared the way for sending mobile high-definition TV cameras embedded with military-grade gyroscopes to China for use by American filming crews.

Bush said the shipments will be approved on a case-by-case basis. The equipment will be returned to the United States after the Games.

The restrictions aim to bar the shipment of munitions and sensitive military equipment to China.

CHINESE BAN SWIMMER: China's decision to ban a top swimmer for life for a failed drug test proves the country is serious about sending a clean team to the Olympics, a top anti-doping official said Monday.

Swimmer Ouyang Kunpeng and his coach, Feng Shangbao, were permanently barred from the sport last week after he tested positive for anabolic steroids. The decision was an embarrassment for the host country just six weeks before the Beijing Olympics.

Zhao Jian, deputy director general of the China Anti-Doping Agency, told The Associated Press the case illustrates that China "has a very systematic and strict anti-doping program, which includes ... all of the best athletes. The system is running effectively."

But Zhao acknowledged that "anti-doping work here in China still has a long way to go. We are faced with many challenges."

ITF GIVES SPECIAL PLACES: Nicolas Massu of Chile, who won gold medals in singles and doubles at the 2004 Olympics, was among 12 players given special places in singles at the Beijing Games.

The places are awarded by the International Tennis Federation to players who didn't meet requirements for direct acceptance, such as Massu, whose ranking of 131st was too low.

Massu won the doubles gold with Fernando Gonzalez, who also will play in Beijing.

Others granted special places in men's singles were Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden, Max Mirnyi of Belarus, Kevin Anderson of South Africa, Kei Nishikori of Japan and Peng Sun of China.

Given special places in women's singles were Alicia Molik of Australia, Maria Koryttseva of Ukraine, Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan, Ayumi Morita of Japan, Nuria Llagostera-Vives of Spain and Selima Sfar of Tunisia.