RALEIGH. (North Carolina) May 4 : Olympic star* Carl Lwels and Janet Evans and a number of other top US aih letes will bypass tills summer's Pan American Games to con cen Irate on other events, according to US ofTielals. reports Reuter.

While top-ranked US teams are expected in basketball, boxing, baseball and diving, key performers In athletics, swimming and gymnastics will skip the August 2-18 games tn competitions their federations say are more important.

"It will not be a front-line US team across the board, and it never has been. In spite of the domination of the Games by the United States." said US Olympic committee spokesman Mike Moran There are too many conflic ts "

The conflicts, which include world and regional championships, the World Student Games and the iucra Uve European athletics circuit have chipped away at the prestige of the Games, others said

Joe I toufilas. "It's just not

then the Invitational meets (in Europe) where the athletes are paid and will meet the best competition," Douglas said in a telephone Interview .

Even Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson has said no to the Games, which is expected to draw some 6.650 athletes and officials from 39 countries.

The former world record-holder will face Lewis and US teammate Leroy Burrell In an eagerly anticipated 100-metre ra& Jn Au gifs t 5 in Malmo. Sweden, ihat conflicts with the Pan Am Games athletics schedule.

Sprint star Michael Johnson, two -time Olympic hurdles champion Roger Kingdom and 1988 gold medallists Joe Deloach and Steve Lewis also will be tn Europe or preparing for the world championships. In Tokyo August 24 through September 1.

"It's a 'B' team for sure." said Pete Cava, a spokesman for the Athletics Congress, the US governing body for athletics. But in some ways our 'B' team would be an A' team In

many countries."

In swimming, the best US talent will be heading North, not South, in August.

The first two finishers in the US championships are committed to the Pan Pacific championships. August 22-25 in Edmonton. Alberta, which will match swimmers from Australia. Canada. China. Japan, the United States and Latin America.

For top US gymnasts, the focus will be on the World gymnastics championships September 6-15 tn Indianapolis.

There wasn't enough time for them to prepare for. both the Pan Am Games and the World championships." said Patti Auer. US Gymnastics Federation spokesman.

The US men's basketball team, a group of college players. will bear only a slight resemblance to the 1992 US squad for the Barcelona Olympics, where pros from the National Basketball Association are expected to be a dominant force.