The Taiwanese taekwondo Olympic gold medallist was disqualified for alleged breaches of strict campaigning rules after polling enough votes during the Olympics in London to win a seat on the influential Commission. 

Those that sit on the Commission have the prestige of being a member of the IOC with full voting rights, including at this year's Session in Buenos Aires in September, where the host city for 2020 and the new President to replace Jacques Rogge will be chosen.

Chu had taken his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), who announced today that they had rejected his appeal.

One of the allegations raised against Chu by the IOC Athletes' Commission Election Committee was that he may have handed out lollipops to promote his candidature.

The CAS Panel, chaired by Italy's Professor Luigi Fumagalli and containinng Britain's Michael Beloff and Switzerland's Hans Nater, found that Chu was guilty of several violations.

"The CAS Panel decided to dismiss the appeal and confirmed that Mu-Yen Chu was guilty of several violations of Article 3, paragraph 2, of the 'Rules of Conduct Applicable to Campaigns for Election to the IOC Athletes' Commission', for campaigning in an unauthorised area and for distributing name cards and showing various documents via a tablet computer, despite having received a written warning from the the IOC on 26 July 2012," CAS said in a written statement. 

"The CAS Panel considered that the violations committed by Mu-Yen Chen had influenced the election process for the Athletes' Commission and gave him an advantage over the other candidates who had complied with the rules.

"Under these conditions, the arbitrators found that the withdrawal of the nomination for election was the only appropriate sanction amongst those provided in the IOC rules.

"The sanction was therefore not deemed disproportionate and was confirmed by the CAS."


The 31-year-old Chu won an Olympic gold medal in the 58 kilogram category at Athens in 2004 and a bronze at Beijing four years later.

CAS claimed that what had happened in London 2012 should not cast a shadow over the rest of his career.

"The CAS Panel concluded that the behaviour of Mu-Yen Chen Chu was more excessive zeal rather than a desire to cheat; his repuation and integrity as a sportsman should not be affected by this decision," it said in its statement.

The decision not to uphold Chu's appeal does not bode well for Japan's Koji Murofushi, the 2004 Olympic hammer champion.

He is also appealing against the decision to exclude him from the IOC Athletes' Commission election for rule violations.

His appeal is due to be heard by CAS on April 11 and 12.

Following the controversial election, it was announced that skeet shooter Danka Barteková of Slovakia, Australian rower James Tomkins, swimmer Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe and French canoeist Tony Estanguet had won places on the IOC Athletes' Commission.

A spokesman for the IOC told insidethegames: "The IOC welcomes the CAS decision but has no further comment at this time as there is another similar case pending."

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