US Women Relay

The CAS will rule on the merits of the dispute

Lausanne, 18 December 2009 - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rendered a preliminary decision in the arbitration between several athletes members of the relays 4x100 and 4x400 of the US team having participated in the Sydney Olympic Games 2000 and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The athletes Andrea Anderson, LaTasha Colander Clark, Jearl Miles-Clark, Torri Edwards, Chryste Gaines, Monique Hennagan, Passion Richardson have requested the CAS to rule on a preliminary basis in order to determine if the IOC was entitled to disqualify the US women relays 4x100 and 4x400 on 10 April 2008, namely more than 7 years after the Sydney Olympic Games. The athletes have requested the CAS to declare that the IOC was prevented (time-barred) from withdrawing their medals on the basis of Rule 25.2.2.4 of the Olympic Charter in force in 2000 according to which "no decision taken in the context of the Olympic Games can be challenged after a period of 3 years from the day of the Closing ceremony of such Games."

The CAS Panel in charge of this matter has considered that the IOC, in implementing the rankings and presenting the medals at the victory ceremonies, simply apply the data established and forwarded to it by the competent International Federations and does not issue a “decision” in this regard. In the case of the Sydney Games, the disqualification of Marion Jones, ordered first by the IAAF and followed then by the IOC, has caused an amendment of the results of the competitions in which Marion Jones took part during the 2000 Olympic Games, including the relays 4x100 and 4x400. The CAS Panel has considered that the 3-year rule did not prevent (time-bar) the IOC from withdrawing medals which were awarded at a victory ceremony because the distribution of medals, which occurs immediately after the race, is not in itself a “decision”. If the CAS had decided that the 3-year rule was applicable in the present case, the IOC decision of 10 April 2008 would have been annulled.

In these circumstances, the CAS will summon the parties to a hearing and proceed to render a decision on the merits of the dispute.

For further information go to Court of Arbitration for Sport website click here