Marion Jones scandal hits innocent teammates
It figured that the Marion Jones doping mess was bound to affect other athletes who won or just missed winning medals at the Sydney Games in 2000 and here it is -- the IOC is stripping Jones' teammates on two relay teams of their medals as well.
The U.S. won the gold in the 1,600-meter relay and the bronze in the 400 relay. Wow, eight other women athletes are to lose those honors because of Jones' admitted doping. Jones is currently serving a six-month sentence because she lied to investigators and for her actions in a fraudulent check scheme.
Jones has already returned her medals but her relay teammates have argued that they should not be punished for what Jones did and have hired a lawyer. The thing could wind up in something called the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Jones won three other medals at Sydney -- two more gold and a bronze -- and all this means that all those medal placings have to be redone and medals re-awarded. More than 30 athletes could be involved.
Comments
The CAS, or Court of Arbitration for Sport, also just heard Floyd Landis' appeal and will make their decision known by June. The CAS is also the organization that Dick Pound, former head of WADA, unsuccessfully tried to become president of recently.
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Skip,
Thanks for writing and the contribution. To the average sports fan ... and I include myself in this instance ... the conglomeration of domestic and international sports organizations, their areas of repsonsibility, authority and oversight, and their relative weight in the sports universe are a bit overwhelming.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Skip Van Meter | April 10, 2008 12:02 PM
With all the problems that are popping up with the Olympics. Illegal drugs, new speedo suit illegal or legal, then all the energy to guard the flame. At some point, it is time to get rid of the Olympic games all together? Look at the staggering cost of money to host the games.
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Capt.,
You give me lots to ponder there. Maybe I'm not the only one who believes the Olympics have run out of steam and are more trouble than they are worth. On the other side of the coin, they are the engine that drives a lot of sports, track and field, figure skating, gymnastics. The Oylmpics are the quadrennial brass ring, the Super Bowl, for athletes in these sports and I wonder what the negative impact would be on these sports at every level, youth, high school, college, without that dream ... as much of a longshot as it is.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Captain Jack | April 10, 2008 1:13 PM
What do they call those gymnastic events in non Olympic years? They still have track and field events and set world records.
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Perhaps you refer to World Cup events or events that are simply referred to as that sport's World Championship. And thanks for your inspiration on the Olympic Games comment.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Captain Jack | April 10, 2008 3:09 PM