IOC strips Jones of medals
Marion Jones has Sydney 2000 medals stripped from her by International Olympic Committee
Wednesday, 12, Dec 2007 03:02
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has formally stripped Marion Jones of the five medals she won at Sydney 2000.
The decision, which follows a three-day meeting of the IOC's executive board, comes after the American athlete admitted taking steroids prior to the 2000 Olympics.
She has already returned her medals and been handed a worldwide ban by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which expires in October 2009, by which time she will be 35.
Today's IOC decision has also seen Jones barred from attending the 2008 Beijing Olympics, "not only as an athlete but also in any other capacity", and she has been warned the ban could be extended to future Games.
Jones became the first woman to win five medals in one Olympics when she came first in the 100m, 200m and 4x400m relay seven years ago.
She also picked up bronze medals in the 4x100m relay and the long jump.
Despite previously denying she took banned substances, in October a tearful Jones admitted using steroids between September 2000 and July 2001.
A decision on whether the erased medals will be re-awarded has not yet been taken.