Splitting Pairs

(Q) What are the accommodations in Sydney for married couples such as Marion Jones and C.J. Hunter (left)?

(A) Like the U.S. teams in basketball, tennis and women's gymnastics and a handful of other American athletes who have filed requests with the USOC, Jones and her shot-putting husband will stay in a hotel outside the Olympic Village. Otherwise, men and women will reside in separate dorm-style village housing, leaving lower-profile couples, such as rifle team members Nancy and Ken Johnson and rower Jen Dore-Terhaar and her coach Tom Terhaar, living apart. Still, some duos manage to meet. "We've often had married couples, and we don't do bed checks per se," says Greg Harney, managing director of Games and organizational support for the USOC. "There have been some creative rooming assignments."