Wednesday's Sports In Brief

By The Associated Press

Here's a look at Wednesday's sports in brief around the world.

OLYMPICS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Swimmer Jessica Hardy’s trip to the Beijing Olympics could be in jeopardy after she tested positive for a banned substance.

Hardy’s “A” sample from the recent U.S. Olympic trials tested positive, according to a person familiar with the test results who told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. The person, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the banned substance was a stimulant but did not provide any other details.

The Swimming World magazine Web site first reported the positive doping test.

Mark Schubert, head coach and general manager of the U.S. team, and Dave Salo, Hardy’s personal coach at Southern California, did not immediately return phone messages left by the AP.

The swimmer’s agent, Evan Morgenstein, told the AP that during a brief phone conversation with Hardy, she told him, “I never did anything wrong. I never cheated.”

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The U.S. Olympic Committee says it will send 596 athletes to the Beijing Games.

Swimmer Michael Phelps, gymnast Paul Hamm and sprinter Tyson Gay are among the 310 men on the team. Swimmer Dara Torres, gymnasts Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin and sprinter Allyson Felix are among the 286 women.

U.S. athletes will compete in 30 sports, including the newest disciplines — motocross, open water swimming and women’s steeplechase. The U.S. will send teams in women’s field hockey for the first time since 1996 and baseball for the first time since 2000. Baseball goes off the Olympic program after the Beijing Games. FOOTBALL:

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Caleb Campbell was a day away from practicing with the Detroit Lions and taking a step toward his dream of playing in the NFL.

“He was issued a helmet, ready to go,” said coach Rod Marinelli.

Now, Campbell is closer to joining his fellow West Point graduates in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The U.S. Army revised its interpretation of Department of Defense policy two weeks ago regarding soldiers playing professional sports, requiring cadets to complete two years of active duty before applying for a release. Campbell and the Lions didn’t officially receive notice of the change until the eve of training camp.

“It’s unfortunate, but it doesn’t mean Caleb Campbell’s dream is dead. It just means it will be delayed,” Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb told The Associated Press. “We want to take care of soldiers and dashing their hopes is not what we intend. But it is what it is.”

Edgecomb said minor league baseball players Nick Hill and Milan Dinga, former West Point standouts, will be allowed to finish their seasons before eventually joining their units.

TENNIS

TORONTO (AP) — Top-ranked Roger Federer was knocked out of the Rogers Cup with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss to France’s Gilles Simon in a second-round match.

Federer, who won the tournament in 2004 and ’06, was playing his first match since losing the Wimbeldon final in five sets to Spain’s Rafael Nadal.

“That’s just unbelievable for me to win against him,” Simon said.

Federer, who became the first top seed to lose in his first match here since Lleyton Hewitt in 2002, finished second in Toronto last year to Novak Djokovic.

“The problem was my game today,” Federer said.

It was the biggest surprise of a soggy day at the tournament that saw play disrupted for nearly six hours by thunderstorms.

Second-seeded Rafael Nadal didn’t look stellar in his first match either, struggling early on before ousting Canadian qualifier Jesse Levine 6-4, 6-2.

CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Jelena Jankovic opened her bid to gain the No. 1 ranking with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over American Vania King in the East West Bank Classic.

The top-seeded Serbian could knock countrywoman Ana Ivanovic from the top spot by winning the tournament, her first since injuring her right knee at Wimbledon.

King pressed Jankovic throughout the first set before the Serb took control in the second.

“My leg felt fine, I didn’t have any pain,” Jankovic said. “I felt a little bit slow when I was moving around, not so explosive like I’m used to. It’s just a matter of feeling more comfortable.”

The injury withdrawals of Serena and Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport and Svetlana Kuznetsova have taken much of the luster off this year’s tournament, and Jankovic noticed.

“It’s really unfortunate this tournament doesn’t have many people,” she said. “The stadium is quite empty which is unusual because most of our tournaments are a full house.”