Doping: Romanian hammer thrower led away

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Sydney: World champion hammer thrower Mihaela Melinte of Romania was escorted away from the athletics arena at the Sydney Games on Wednesday after being informed that she had failed a drug test.

Athletics officials said the Romanian had tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone in a test taken in Italy earlier in the season.

"She didn't know about the suspension. Officials came over to explain to her that she could not compete," International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) spokesman Giorgio Reineri said.

"The Romanian federation were informed on September 25 that she had been suspended...(But) She believed she had the right to compete."

It is very rare for an athlete to be led away from the track because of a problem with a drug test.

The incident took place as the second group of hammer qualifiers was preparing to compete.

"She came to the stadium with us and was sitting down when officials told her she could not compete," Australian Debbie Sosimenko said.

Venue manager Jayne Pearce said, "She was in the arena and the IAAF instructed us to remove her from the competition, which we did."

Explanation

Reineri said Melinte had been asked for an explanation after the positive test in Italy.

"The explanation was received only a few days ago and was not accepted," Reineri said. "The IAAF has suspended the athlete.

"Because she was there ready to compete we had to stop her. She was not on the list on the computers of the judges. We only went there to explain to her why she was not on the list of the competitors."

Nandrolone is the substance found in the urine of American shot putter C.J. Hunter, the husband of Olympic women's 100 metres champion Marion Jones, in four tests during the season.

Five athletes have tested positive during the Sydney Olympics, including four who were stripped of the medals they had won.

Hunter pulled out of the Games citing an injury. But Belarus hammer thrower Vadim Devyatovsky also failed a drug test for nandrolone before the Games and was not allowed to compete.

The incident took place on the same day that Romanian gymnast Andreea Raducan was appealing against the loss of her all-round Olympic gold medal after she tested positive for a banned drug contained in a remedy she took to cure a cold.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport was meeting in Sydney to hear the case.



(c) Reuters Limited.