December 7 - Two of the three individual Olympic medals stripped from Marion Jones (pictured) for drug taking are finally to be reallocated nine years after she won them at the Sydney Games in 2000 but her 100 metres gold will not be included as the runner-up was the Greek sprinter Ekaterina Thanou, it has been reported.


Thanou was banned for anti-doping rule violations at the 2004 Athens Games and was barred from competing in last year's Beijing Olympics for bringing the Movement into disrepute.

Associated Press claimed that the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) ruling Executive Board will on Wednesday announce that it is to hand Jones's gold in the 200m to Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas and the bronze she won in the long jump to Tatyana Kotova of Russia.

While the 100m gold medal will remain vacant, Tanya Lawrence, who came third, will get the silver and her fellow Jamaican Merlene Ottey, who was 40 at the time, move up from fourth to bronze.

Thanou would keep her silver, meaning Lawrence would get a duplicate medal.

Thanou claimed in August that she was offered a deal by the IOC President Jacques Rogge whereby she would be awarded the Sydney gold medal if she admitted her guilt at the 2004 Games following a series of missed out-of-competition tests.

She refused and is now threatening to sue Rogge and the IOC.

In the 200m Sri Lanka's Susanthika Jayasinghe will be promoted from bronze to silver and Jamaica's Beverly McDonald from fourth to third.

Jones, who spent six months in a Texas federal prison after it was discovered she used steroids before the 2000 Sydney Olympics and lied about it, announced last week she is hoping to become a professional basketball player.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) urged the IOC in August to speed up the process for reassigning Jones' medals.

Nick Davies, the IAAF spokesman, said: "The IAAF position is clear – we are waiting for the decision of the IOC on this matter and hope that it can be concluded as soon as possible."

In April 2008 the IOC stripped all the relay medals – from those involved in the 4x100m and 4x400m – because of Jones' doping.

But the relay runners appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), arguing it was wrong to punish them for Jones' violations.

CAS is due to release its verdict by December 18 and the IOC will wait until then before deciding on the reallocation of the relay medals.

Jones' team-mates on the 4x400 squad were Jearl Miles-Clark, Monique Hennagan, LaTasha Colander-Richardson and Andrea Anderson. Chryste Gaines, Torri Edwards, Nanceen Perry and Passion Richardson were on the 4x100 team.

Jamaica took silver behind the US in the 4x400m relay and will move up to gold if the standings are adjusted. Russia were third and Nigeria fourth.

In the 4x100m France were fourth behind the Americans.


Related stories
December 2009: Conte claims Jones still has not faced up to her drug past
December 2009: Disgraced sprinter Marion Jones planning a comeback
August 2009: Conclusion in Jones case to be speeded up promises Rogge
August 2009: Thanou rejects IOC compromise deal over Marion Jones gold
October 2008: Jones admits she knew she was lying