Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 13, 1994 TAG: 9402130084
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: OREGON CITY, ORE. LENGTH: Medium
Harding, accused by her ex-husband of helping to plot the attack on Nancy Kerrigan last month, will join Kerrigan as a teammate upon arrival Wednesday at the athletes' village near the skating arena.
"I finally get to prove to the world I can win a gold medal," Harding said later, climbing into her truck outside the apartment where she has been staying.
The agreement calls for Harding to drop her $25 million lawsuit against the USOC, which will, in turn, allow her to join in the Olympics without a disciplinary hearing.
"Tonya Harding will skate in the 1994 Olympics," Clackamas County Circuit Judge Patrick D. Gilroy said in his order after attorneys for the two sides met in his chambers for seven hours Saturday.
American athletes and Olympic officials had put pressure on the USOC to resolve the dispute, which was threatening to overshadow everything else at the Olympics.
Moments after the settlement in Oregon, USOC officials held a news conference in Lillehammer. Asked whether the USOC had backed down, USOC spokesman Mike Moran said "that would be inaccurate."
He said the agreement was "very much a combination of the right thing to do, plus the time left and the distractions to the athletes."
Gilroy's order said the USOC disciplinary hearing that Harding was to have faced later this week had been canceled and Harding's lawsuit "is concluded."
Harding also released a statement: "Tonya simply wants to skate in the Olympics and be treated fairly. She appreciates the United States Olympic Committee working with her to resolve this matter," it said.
Keywords:
INFOLINE
by CNB