Jones’ relay teammates want to keep gold medals

They’ll get a chance to argue their case before the IOC.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Marion Jones’ relay teammates will get a chance to argue their case for keeping their Olympic medals. Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou will have to wait a few more months to learn whether she gets Jones’ 100-meter gold.

The International Olympic Committee said Monday it would delay a decision on the reallocation of Jones’ five medals — three gold and two bronze — from the 2000 Sydney Games. Jones admitted in federal court in October that she started using steroids before the Olympics, and returned all her medals.

The IOC executive board is expected to formally strip Jones of her medals on Wednesday, wiping her name from the record books, and ban her from attending future Olympics in any official capacity.

However, the IOC needs more time to study the legal and ethical issues of reshuffling the medals — a process that could affect the medal status of 43 other athletes from eight nations.

“We don’t want to do it piece by piece,” executive board member Denis Oswald said. “We want to wait until we have full information.”

Jones won gold medals in the 100, 200 and 1,600-meter relay, and bronze medals in the long jump and 400-meter relay.

After long denying she ever had used performance-enhancing drugs, Jones admitted that she’d used the designer steroid “the clear” from September 2000 to July 2001.

Last month, the International Association of Athletics Federations erased all of Jones’ results dating to September 2000, and recommended that her eight American relay teammates also be disqualified and lose their medals.

U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Peter Ueberroth has said the Americans should voluntarily return their medals because the relays were tainted by Jones’ presence. But none of the athletes has done so, forcing the IOC to decide whether to strip them.

Oswald and Thomas Bach, the IOC vice president who heads the three-man disciplinary panel in the case, said they would offer the relay runners a hearing to make their case.

“They have never been tested positive,” Oswald said. “They would just lose the medals because of Jones. We have to be careful to protect their rights.”

The 1,600-relay team included Jearl-Miles Clark, Monique Hennagan, LaTasha Colander-Richardson and Andrea Anderson. Chryste Gaines, Torri Edwards, Nanceen Perry and Passion Richardson were on the 400-relay squad.

Jamaica took silver behind the United States in the 1,600 relay and would stand to move up to first. Russia was third and Nigeria fourth. In the 400 relay, France was fourth behind the Americans.