IOC expected to swiftly strip Jones of medals
DETROIT (Reuters) - The chief of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) says he expects the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to move quickly and strip Marion Jones of her five Olympic medals following her admission that she used performance-enhancing drugs.
WADA chairman Dick Pound said the hardest part of taking away Jones's medals will be turning over her 100 meter gold from the 2000 Sydney Olympics to runner-up Katerina Thanou of Greece, who recently completed a two-year doping ban.
"The IOC opened up a file on Jones after Sydney and we now have full admission, so I don't think it will take much time to respond," Pound told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"There is an IOC executive board meeting in December and I'm sure the disciplinary board will make a recommendation and move quickly."
The IOC began watching Jones in December 2004 when the American was implicated in the BALCO steroid scandal along with her former partner and 100 meter world record holder Tim Montgomery and several other high-profile U.S. athletes.
Despite having never tested positive for a banned substance, Jones had remained under investigation by the IOC and the U.S. Anti Doping Agency (USADA) for nearly three years.
Pound, a former IOC vice president, said proceedings would likely begin with the USADA making its ruling.
WADA would only get involved if the IOC failed to act accordingly, he added.
"On the sports side it will start with USADA who will make a determination based upon her admission that she's guilty of a doping offence," he said.
"The IOC will then take that admission and deal with the medals.
"WADA doesn't really doesn't have anything to do with it unless the IOC were to say, 'we have an admission and it was seven years ago so let's leave it,' but I would think the IOC would not have any interest in letting her keep tainted medals.
"The normal procedure would have USADA say, 'our athlete has doped and we think it is not appropriate for her to keep any medals.'"
A tearful Jones pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about both her steroid use and also a check fraud case.
She faces up to six months in jail under a plea agreement reached with prosecutors and sanctions from the USADA, which will pave the way for the IOC to reclaim her five Olympic medals, three gold and two bronze.
Once the finishes are re-adjusted, one of those gold, will go to Thanou, who along with fellow Greek sprinter Kostas Kenteris, sparked a doping scandal at the 2004 Athens Olympics when they failed to appear for drug tests.
Both Thanou and Kenteris received two-year bans.
"That's one of the disagreeable aspects," said Pound, when asked about awarding Thanou the gold medal. "That will be hard to swallow."
