IOC tackle corruption

The International Olympic Committee were today forced to address the “dark and sordid side of sport” as allegations of corruption, the potential expulsion of two members and the on-going doping debate made for an eventful first morning at the Executive Board meeting in Athens.

Although the suspension of Bulgarian Ivan Slavkov over corruption allegations will dominate the headlines, the IOC also recommended Indonesian member Mohamad ‘Bob’ Hasan be ejected at next week’s session.

Hasan was suspended from the IOC in May 2001 after being jailed for six years on corruption charges in Indonesia. The former Indonesian trade and industry minister was released on parole earlier this year.

Away from corruption allegations, the IOC delayed ruling on whether to strip the American 4x400m relay team of their gold medals from the Sydney Games until a full appeals process had run its 60-day course.

The victorious team, which included Michael Johnson, could all lose their medals because of a doping violation committed by team member Jerome Young a year before the Sydney Olympics.

Young tested positive for nandrolone in 1999 but the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled he was later improperly cleared by the US Track & Field Association and was therefore ineligible to compete in Sydney.

Young, who denies ever taking a banned substance, has already been stripped of his gold but the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) last month recommended the entire USA team be penalised.

“The IOC will have to wait until the IAAF decision is final and enforceable before it makes its decision,” said IOC communications director.

Young, who failed to qualify for the 400m in Athens despite being reigning world champion, ran in the opening and semi-final rounds of the relay in Sydney.

If the USA team loses its case, Nigeria will be upgraded to gold, Jamaica to silver and the Bahamas to bronze.

The IOC rejected an appeal lodged by the Romanian Athletic Federation against the Romanian Olympic Committee’s decision not to select any athlete with a doping record.

Mihaela Melinte, Claudia Iovan and Ana Mirele Termure were all excluded from the Romanian Olympic team because of their past records – a policy upheld by the IOC.

Davies explained the Romanian Olympics Committee’s decision fell in line with the IOC “fight against doping” and was backed up in the charter.

Rule 31.3 of the charter states: “The NOCs (National Olympic Committees) have the exclusive powers for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games and at the regional, continental or world multi-sports competitions patronised by the IOC.”