|
|
Thursday, September 28
Gold-medal favorite out of hammer
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia -- Mihaela Melinte, the women's hammer
throw world champion and world record-holder, lost a last-ditch
appeal Friday to be reinstated for the Olympic final after being
removed for a positive drug test.
Melinte, the gold-medal favorite, was escorted off the field
Wednesday before the start of qualifying. The move was ordered by
the International Amateur Athletic Federation, which said Melinte
tested positive for the steroid nandrolone at a meet in Milan,
Italy, on June 7.
The Romanian national Olympic committee filed an appeal with the
Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking a chance for Melinte to
qualify for the final Friday night or to have her directly inserted
into the final.
The appeal was rejected.
"How could any court interfere with the decision of the IAAF in
doping matters?" IAAF general secretary Istvan Gyulai said. "The
Olympic Charter says eligibility is up to the international sports
federations. It would have been an unbelievable precedent if the
ruling had been overturned."
Meanwhile, Gyulai said the Mexican Olympic Committee has filed
an appeal with CAS on behalf of Bernardo Segura, who was
disqualified moments after crossing the finish line first in the
20-kilometer walk on Sept. 22.
Segura was accused of improperly breaking contact with the
ground three times during the race, all in the final 20 minutes.
His disqualification sent the gold medal to Robert Korzeniowski of
Poland.
It was uncertain when the CAS would issue its verdict.
|  | |
|
