IOC condoles athlete's death

Olympic leaders expressed their sympathy to Nigeria on Friday after the death of Hyginus Anugo, one of the country's Olympic 400 metres hopefuls, in a road accident in Sydney.

The executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) discussed Thursday's accident and decided that president Juan Antonio Samaranch should send a letter of condolences to the Nigerian Olympic Committee.

"The president has sent a letter showing concern and deep regret to the Nigerian Olympic Committee," IOC board member Kevan Gosper said.

Anugo, 22, was struck by a car as he crossed a road.

"I understand he was coming out from a bus where he had been to a sports venue across the road," Gosper said.

In Lagos news of Anugo's death was broken to the Nigerian Athletics Federation by an official who rang from the team's training camp in Sydney.

"It is very sad indeed. This has never happened in the history of this country," federation president Oluyomi Adeyemi-Wilson said.

New South Wales Premier Bob Carr said his thoughts were with Anugo's colleagues.

"We grieve with them as they do about the death of someone drawn to Sydney by this huge event, the Olympics," he told reporters.

"We think of all the time that he put in his training and all that he may have expected to achieve in Sydney."