Katerina Thanou is considering taking legal action against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to secure a gold medal in the 2000 Olympics' 100m sprint following recent admissions by Marion Jones of using steroids to improve her performance. The IOC has so far been reluctanct to determine the allocation of the five medals returned by Jones. The IOC has explained its reluctance to do so by saying they are awaiting the results of the pending investigation into the Balco scandal.
In Katerina Thanou's case, I would have to say this reluctance is justified. She just finished a 3 year suspension for missing 3 drug tests, one on the eve of the 2004 Olympics. As a matter of fact, criminal charges are still possible in that event for making false official statements in a criminal investigation when herself and another Olympian claimed they missed the drug test due to being involved in a motorcycle crash.
Certainly, the IOC is justified in defending itself from the embarassment handing out a gold medal only to have it revealed later that Thanou was not only a liar, a criminal, but also a cheater.
(Persoanlly, I think steroids are a personal choice, and as such should be legal. However, if an athlete belongs to a professional sports organization that specifies a rule prohibiting steroid use, that athlete then becomes bound by contract, to follow the rules the organization sets forth. The IOC clearly bans steroid use and doping so these athletes deserve the hammering they get.)
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