Thanou rejects IOC compromise deal over Marion Jones gold
August 8 - Ekaterina Thanou (pictured) has turned down a compromise agreement that would have seen her receive the Olympic gold medal for the 100 metres at Sydney in 2000, it has been reported.
HellenicAthletes.com has claimed that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were prepared to upgrade Thanou to the gold medal that they stripped from American Marion Jones after she admitted using banned performance-enhancing drugs at the time.
In return, the Greek sprinter would acknowledge her guilt and accept full responsibility for her missing a series of out-of-competition drugs tests in the build-up to the 2004 Athens Games.
Thanou has refused the offer and her legal team is now preparing a multi-million dollar dollar lawsuit against the IOC.
That is based on her being also banned her from competing in the Beijing Olympics last year after the IOC evoked rule 45.2 of the Olympic Charter, claiming she had brought the Movement into “disrepute” for her “unacceptable behaviour” at the 2004 Olympics and that she and training partner Kostas Kederis had faked a motorcycle accident on the eve of the Opening Ceremony to avoid being drug tested.
She denies the allegation.
They also plan to take legal action against Jacques Rogge, the President of the IOC, and Lambis Nikolaou, a senior member of the IOC and former President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.
The papers are expected to be served before the end of the year.
HellenicAthletes.com claims that the IOC's lawyers have recommended that Thanou be awarded the gold medal from the Sydney 100m, a race in which she finished second behind Jones, but that Rogge is refusing to sanction it.
Thanou is due to appear in a court in Athens on November 10 to face charges over the alleged faked motorcycle accident.
If she is found guilty, she is expected to face a small fine or suspended sentence.
Thanou also hopes to compete at the London Olympics in 2012, when she will be 37.
Related Stories:
| December 2008: | Thanou to sue Rogge over Beijing ban |
| August 2008: | Greek sprinter banned from the Olympics |
| July 2008: | Thanou threatens legal action against IOC |
| July 2008: | Greek doping scandal of 2004 comes back to haunt Olympics |
Comments
There is no way she should be allowed to sue. Sports administrators should not be exposed to the risk of personal litigation over every judgement call they have to make in the very difficult area of doping. Athletes have to accept that sometimes the system will seem to be harsh to individuals, but there is no alternative if the integrity of sport is going to be protected. The only people to gain from such suits will be the lawyers, so the judges should throw them out at the first opportunity. Unfortunately judges are lawyers themselves, and all to prone to fail to see the distinction between the interests of the legal profession (more litigation about everything) and the public interest.
By Oliver Chettle
8 August 2009 at 13:08pm
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