(27 Sep 2000) English/Nat
XFA
Romanian gymnast Andreea Raducan must wait another day to learn if she'll get her gold medal back.
Wearing her Romanian warm up jacket, Raducan left the courtroom first on Wednesday and appeared to be in good spirits.
The Court for Arbitration of Sport has promised a decision on Thursday on whether the IOC should return the medal to the Romanian.
The IOC took the medal from the 16-year-old winner for taking two cold pills containing a banned substance.
But the Romanians have argued that the penalty was too harsh because Raducan, who weights just 38 kilogrammes, had simply taken the medicine to cure a cold.
The substance, pseudoephedrine, is listed as a stimulant by the International Olympic Committee.
The IOC's director general, who defended the decision at the arbitration hearing refused to comment on the case until tomorrow.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an independent, international body created to resolve disputes over discipline and contracts.
Based in Lausanne in Switzerland, the court establishes a branch during every Olympics to hear disputes relating to the games.
An Australian, a Swiss, and an American are the arbitrators hearing Raducan's case.
Since the Sydney Olympics began, the court has overturned a drug-related ban and allowed a Bulgarian weightlifter to compete.
The court most famous ruling came at the Nagano Olympics when it restored Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati's gold medal after he tested positive for marijuana.
The court said the IOC couldn't take Rebagliati's medal because it didn't have an agreement with the international ski federation governing marijuana use.
In Raducan's case, the Romanian team doctor who gave her the pills has been expelled from the Sydney Games and suspended from the 2004 Games in Athens.
Raducan was allowed to keep her gold from the team competition and silver in the vault final.
Raducan's case has drawn strong reaction in Romania, where hundreds of students marched through the southern city of Craiova demanding that Raducan's gold be returned to her.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The panel is going to give us an answer up to three o'clock in the afternoon tomorrow. So the matter is a very interesting and serious matter and for that reason I would like you to be so kind and patient and wait, as we do and we are very interested, until tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock. I think you very much, we are not going to make any other comments, I don't think it would be fair and the panel has to worry."
SUPER CAPTION: Romanian Olympic Committee President Ion Tiriac
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"It was a very long hearing and I shall not make any comments as to the contents as you may understand. We are expecting the decision by tomorrow, three pm from this court.
Q. So they haven't actually made a decision yet?
A. They haven't made a decision yet, they are now going to deliberate and it is their decision that we are waiting for.
Q. Mr Carrard can you comment on these reports that the silver and the bronze medalists initially...
A. I will refrain from any further comments. This is a matter which is in front of the court now. I will withhold any comments until - excuse me - until after the decision tomorrow. Thank you very much."
SUPER CAPTION: Francois Carrard, IOC Director General
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