Ruling on some of Jones's medals soon

A decision on the re-allocation of some of the medals US sprinter Marion Jones won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics could be taken soon, the International Olympic Committee said yesterday.

Jones was stripped of the 100, 200 and 4x400 metres relay gold medals and her long jump and 4x100 bronzes in 2007 after admitting to doping and being jailed for six months for lying to federal agents.

So far none of the other athletes in those events have been upgraded as is usually the case.

An appeal by several of Jones's relay team-mates, who were also stripped of their medals because of her doping, is pending at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, delaying a resolution of the Jones case.

IOC vice president Thomas Bach said while the relay case was to be ruled on by CAS on December 18, a decision on some of the other medals could come earlier.

The IOC is facing a dilemma whether to award Greece's Katerina Thanou the 100 gold from Sydney after she was banned for anti-doping rule violations at the 2004 Athens Games and was barred from competing in last year's Beijing Olympics.

Asked whether Thanou's upgrade was one of the cases that could be decided on soon, Bach only smiled.

"That is a very good question," he said.