Disgraced US sprinter Jones hands over Olympic medals

LOS ANGELES: Disgraced sprinter Marion Jones has been stripped of her gold medals from the 2000 Olympics and asked to repay more than $100,000 in prize and bonus money, the United States Olympic Committee said on Monday.

Jones, who admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in a US court last week, has returned the three gold and two bronze medals she won in Sydney, USOC chief executive Jim Scherr said.

"She relinquished this afternoon the medals that were won unfairly at the Sydney Games," Scherr said.

"She has taken the right step and worked quickly and voluntarily to return the medals and that is a start. I think there is still a long ways to go.

"(The medals) are in the possession of the USOC and will be returned to the IOC so they can be awarded to the appropriate winners at the Olympic Games."

The 31-year-old American pled guilty on Friday to lying to federal investigators. USOC chairman Peter Ueberroth said the next step would be for her to hand back the Olympic medals.

"We have the medals in our possession and they will be returned," Ueberroth said Monday.

Scherr said Jones would also have to forfeit all her competition results since September 1, 2000.

"We also will go after prize bonuses and it is in excess of $100,000," Scherr said. "We will ask her to make restitution for any money she received from the USOC."

Jones was also slapped with a two-year competition ban by the United States Anti-doping Agency (USADA) Monday, but she had already announced her retirement on Friday.

Jones was unavailable for comment on Monday.

"She's not going to comment on the matter while it's pending in court, but the medals were returned today," Jones' New York lawyer, Henry DePippo, told the US media.

Jones, who won the 100-meter and 200-meter in addition to taking third in the long jump, was part of the winning 4x400 team and the third-place 4x100 team in Australia.

Uebberroth said they are also asking Jones' relay teammates to turn over their medals from 2000 as well.

"Basically it is unfortunate. But your results involved cheating so you are not entitled to the medals," Uebberroth said.

Some of the other American athletes who are being asked to return their relay medals include, Chryste Gaines, Torri Edwards, Nanceen Perry, Jearl Miles-Clark, Monique Hennagan and LaTasha Colander-Richardson.

Said Scherr, "Our opinion is that something was won unfairly and it has completely tarnished the relay events."

Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou is in line to receive one of the golds because she finished second behind Jones in the Sydney 100 meters. Thanou's situation poses another problem for the IOC as she was given a two-year ban for allegedly faking a motorbike crash to cover up missing a drug test during the 2004 Summer Games.

Scherr said Jones handed the medals over to USOC officials Monday in the Austin, Texas offices of her lawyer.

"They were picked up today after being turned over," Scherr said.

He said the five medals will taken to Colorado Springs before being shipped to the IOC's head office in Switzerland.

Jones told the court last week that she believed the steroid her coach was giving to her was flaxseed oil.

Asked on Monday if he believed her story, Scherr said, "It really doesn't matter whether we believe her or not. The results are invalidated."

Jones, once hailed as the greatest female athlete in the world, was one of many high-profile athletes who testified before a federal grand jury investigating BALCO, a probe that has resulted in five convictions.

Jones' former partner Tim Montgomery was banished and his world 100-meter record run erased based on evidence collected in the BALCO probe.

Jones herself had steadfastly denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs, even as the BALCO-spawned suspicions swirled around her.

She sued BALCO founder Victor Conte - who was convicted of steroid peddling - for defamation over his accusations on US television that she was a drugs cheat, later settling out of court.

Ueberroth said the USOC has apologized to each of the 205 Olympic committees that sent athletes to Sydney and pledges to send a clean US team to next year's Beijing Games.

USADA chief executive Travis Tygart said the medals didn't belong to Jones.

AFP

(China Daily 10/10/2007 page24)