By TERRY JONES -- Edmonton Sun
 SYDNEY -- This is absolutely, unquestionably, without a doubt the second last Arturo Miranda soap opera update.

 His event, the three-metre springboard, goes at 10 a.m. Monday here. To compete he must be officially entered 24 hours ahead of time. That's 10 a.m. Sunday here. Or 5 p.m. Saturday in Alberta.

 It's going to the wire.

 "We're going back to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport,'' said Canadian diving coach Mitch Geller of the time which remains.

 "We have some documents. We have recruited some expertise greater than we had.''

 The Canadians are hoping for a similar decision - also achieved at the last moment - which allowed Cuban defector Angel Perez to compete in kayak. In an almost identical situation other than the fact Miranda didn't defect but left legally after marrying a Canadian woman working in Cuba, the Americans provided paperwork which claimed Perez had been an "American national'' for the three years required in Olympic charter Rule 46.

 As was the case with Perez and U.S. citizenship, Miranda has been a Canadian citizen for only one year. However, Canada requires three years of landed immigrant status prior to becoming a Canadian citizen.

 The holdup here has been getting the letter from Justice Minister Ann MacLellan of Edmonton to say what they need it to say. Have they succeeded or have they failed?

 And will minister Sheila Copps come through with a last-minute withdrawal of the Cuban blockade which got this going in the first place?

 Will Cuba finally go to dinner with Copps and waive their objection keeping Miranda out of the Olympics? Cuba, after all, left Miranda at home due to finances after he'd made the Cuban Olympic Team for the 1992 Games in Barcelona.

 "We're requesting emergency relief,'' said Geller of going to the court of sport to get a decision in time to enter the Edmonton diver in the Olympics. "We believe logic and common sense will win the day.''