10 December,2009 10:35 AM IST | | AFP
The International Olympic Committee decided on Wednesday not to re-award the women's 100m gold medal at the Sydney Games in 2000, which was stripped from drug cheat Marion Jones two years ago.
In line with IOC practice, controversial Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou, who finished second behind Jones in Sydney, would have been expected to receive the gold medal.
| Marion Jones |
Instead, the record books will show no gold in the flagship women's sprint at Sydney but two silvers, an IOC spokesman said after an executive board meeting in Lausanne.
Third-placed finisher Tanya Lawrence of Jamaica was promoted to silver alongside Thanou.
Lawrence's compatriot Merlene Ottey was awarded a bronze medal instead of fourth place.
It is believed to be the first time in the modern history of the Games that an Olympic event will not have a gold medallist, IOC officials said, although they were unable to check immediately.
"The actual awarding of a gold medal, of any medal, is certainly not a right and therefore in this case it will not happen," IOC spokesman Mark Adams told journalists.
Adams underlined Thanou's more recent problems, notably evading anti-doping tests in 2004, in which, he added, "she disgraced herself."
"It's felt that with her conduct she didn't deserve to be honoured with this recognition," he said.
Jones's 200m gold went to Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas with Sri Lanka's Susanthika Jayasinghe moving up into second and Jamaica's Beverly McDonald stepped onto the podium with bronze.
Jones was stripped of all her medals she won nine years ago after admitting doping offences, and was sent to prison in the United States after lying to federal investigators.
Re-awarding the 100 m gold had posed a challenge to the IOC, because second placed Thanou was in subsequent years immersed in controversy over doping related issues.
Although no evidence has been presented to indicate she was taking drugs when running against Jones in Sydney, Thanou faces a court case for allegedly lying to Greek police to avoid a drug test at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and served a two-year disciplinary ban.
The Greek runner was ultimately barred from competing at the Olympic Games in Beijing last year for bringing athletics into disrepute.
Jones's long jump bronze was given to Russian Tayana Kotova, the IOC said Wednesday.
Legal wrangling is still underway over the US women's 4 x 400m relay gold and 4 x 100 bronze at Sydney, where Jones was part of the teams. A case is still pending before the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS).
