08/02/2001

TRAGIC BEREAVEMENT CAUSES OLYMPIC SHOT CHAMPION TO MISS INDOOR SEASON

Olympic shot champion Arsi Harju has announced that he will not compete
during this indoor season due to the sudden death of his fiancee on
Saturday 3rd February who passed away after a long illness presumed to be
cancer. 

To avoid press intrusion during the illness Harju had refused to talk about
his matrimonial status throughout last summer and so everybody outside his
immediate family believed the engagement had been broken. 

Given the tragic circumstances Harju made no further comment except for
stating that he had made the announcement only because "it was fair to his
fellow competitors to tell them the truth this early, so that they would
know he would not been competing this winter". 

ENDS.