Romanian world hammer champion loses appeal

Add as a preferred source on Google

Sydney: Romania's world hammer champion Mihaela Melinte, escorted away from the Sydney Olympics athletics track over a positive drugs test, has failed in a late-night appeal to be allowed to contest Friday's final.

World athletics officials said on Friday that Melinte, who was told she could not throw just minutes before Wednesday's start of the qualifying competition, took her case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday night.

"The Romanians appealed to try to give her the chance to qualify this morning for the final or be added as the 13th competitor to the final tonight," International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) general secretary Istvan Gyulai said.

"It was rejected. The Romanian argument was that the athlete did not have the opportunity to explain the positive finding. But it was clearly proved that there was a written explanation from the Romanians."

Melinte tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone in the Italian city of Milan on June 7. But the Rome laboratory report did not reach the IAAF until mid-September and Melinte said she knew nothing about the suspension.

The CAS ruling, given at the end of a hearing which lasted into the early hours of Friday, came just hours after the CAS had turned down another Romanian appeal, this one over a drug case involving gymnast Andreea Raducan.

She lost her fight to get back the Olympic gold medal stripped from her for failing a drugs test after she took a pill to cure a cold.

Gyulai said Mexican walker Bernardo Segura, who was disqualified from a heat of the men's 20 km event last Friday after he had completed a celebration lap, had also taken his case to the CAS, which rules on disputes between governing bodies and athletes.

That case was due to be heard later on Friday.

Apology

It is very rare for an athlete to be withdrawn, as was Melinte, just minutes before the start of a competition because of a drug test.

The IAAF, angry about the time the laboratory took to report the test, sent its final decision to Romania sports officials on September 25, ruling the athlete out of the Games. But Melinte was unaware of the decision and tried to compete.

Gyulai said the IAAF regretted the delay.

"The IAAF expressed its regret," Gyulai said. "(But) unfortunately the circumstances do not invalidate a positive doping case."

He said it would have been possible to add her to the list of finalists. But the IAAF boss added, "That would have created a very dangerous precedent."Romanian National Olympic Committee president Ion Tiriac, the former tennis player who used to manage Boris Becker, described the affair as a "masquerade" and said he was confused that the IAAF had to apologise but the decision still stood.

"If she is good or bad, I don't know. If she tested positive really, she should be banned for life," he said.

"But then a masquerade to take her two minutes before she throws, to put her in the groups, to accept her. Then last night the panel say, 'Yes, she's right. Yes, she was badly handled. Yes, not correct. International federation, please present excuses.

"Are we joking, are we dreaming or what?...I can't figure it out. You present excuses but the decision stays. I don't get it."

Mexican anger

Segura, 30, had already completed a victory lap draped in his national flag after crossing the line just a few metres ahead of Poland's Robert Korzeniowski and was being interviewed on Mexican television when he discovered he had been disqualified.

He was being congratulated by Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo on the telephone, in front of the cameras, when a judge walked up to him and showed him a red card.

Segura was ruled to have failed to maintain continuous contact with the ground. The decision was greeted with anger in Mexico.



(c) Reuters Limited.