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CAS delays decision on Raducan appeal
SYDNEY, Sept 27 (AFP) - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) won't decide on Andreea Raducan's appeal against the loss of her Olympic gymnastics gold for doping until Thursday, Romanian Olympic Committee President Ion Tiriac said Wednesday. Following a five-and-a-half hour hearing by the three-man CAS committee in downtown Sydney, Tiriac said all the evidence had been heard and was now being considered and no decision would be issued until 3pm (0200GMT) Thursday. "I won't make any other comment. I don't think that would be fair," said Tiriac. Raducan was stripped of her Olympic gymnastics all-around gold medal when she tested positive for the banned stimulant pseudo-ephedrine. The drugs, contained in medicine she took for a cold, are banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) but not by the gymnastics federation. IOC officials admitted the tiny 16-year-old was the victim of an accident and gained no benefit from the pills, but they stuck to a firm "rules are rules" line. She appealed to CAS and appeared Wednesday, accompanied by Tiriac and Romanian team chef-de-mission Alexandru Lazarescu. "It's a very important and serious matter," Tiriac said. "I ask that you have the patience to wait as we do." Raducan's teammates Simona Amanar and Maria Olaru, who finished second and third, to complete the first sweep of the all-around since 1960, have returned their medals in protest, and accompanied her to the hearing. The pint-sized gymnast, compared with Romanian great Nadia Comaneci, declined comment as she climbed into a car, which then drove away. "I cannot make any comments, they haven't made a decision yet," said Francois Carrard, the IOC's director general, who defended the IOC decision at the arbitration hearing. "This is a matter which is in front of the court," he added. Raducan was the first Romanian gymnast to win the all-around gold since her idol Comaneci in 1976. Speaking on Romanian television Raducan's father put the blame on what he said were the coaches and team doctors who failed to do their homework. "Regardless of how this issue develops, I am happy that the gold medal will come back to Romania," added Mr. Raducan. Team doctor Ioachim Oana took responsiblity for the postive test: "Ten minutes before the competition, Andreea was suffering from a cold and I decided to give her a nurofen tablet without thinking of the consequences," said Oana who has been thrown out of the Games.
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