Andreea Raducan, a Romanian gymnastic, could be stripped of her gold medal, after being tested positive for drugs, according to an IOC official.
Prince Alexandre de Merode, an IOC drug chief, said the medical commission would recommend that the 16-year-old Raducan lose her all-around medal, which she won on Saturday, but would be allowed to keep her team gold and vault silver because a doctor was at fault for giving her the medicine.
“We consider it was not a voluntary action. It was given to her by the medical doctor,” de Merode said.
He added that the medical commission will also recommend that the team doctor be banned from the Sydney, Salt Lake City and Athens Olympics.
A Romanian official described the drugs as cold medication. Ion Tiriac, the Romanian Olympic Committee president, said they were were told of the positive test on Monday afternoon, but Raducan competed anyway in the individual floor exercise final that night and finished seventh out of eight.
“Andrea took two neurophrene tablets to treat a cold and probably, because of her weight (37kg) this showed up in the test," Tiriac said.
"We believe this case is completely irrelevant. The athlete is the best gymnast in the world at this time - she has proved it."
He added that Raducan had tested positive for “pseudo-ephedrine”, a substance which does not figure on the International Gymnastics Federation list of banned products but which is banned by the IOC.
The 4 ft 10ins Raducan, became the first Romanian to win the all-around title since Nadia Comaneci, who at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 became the first gymnast to score a perfect 10.
Octavian Belu, the team coach, has threatened to withdraw the whole team from the games, the private Romanian news agency Mediafax reported.
The commission will report to the IOC executive board on Tuesday morning.
The Times
