Eight years later, IOC disqualifies U.S. relay team

WTF?

One member, Antonio Pettigrew, admitted using banned drugs

Last Updated: Saturday, August 2, 2008 | 10:04 AM ET
CBC Sports

The U.S. men's 4x400-metre relay team, including, from left, Antonio Pettigrew, Calvin Harrison, Michael Johnson and Alvin Harrison, celebrates after winning the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Sydney. The U.S. men's 4x400-metre relay team, including, from left, Antonio Pettigrew, Calvin Harrison, Michael Johnson and Alvin Harrison, celebrates after winning the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Sydney. (Thomas Kienzle/Associated Press)

The International Olympic Committee has retroactively disqualified the entire U.S. team that won the men's 4x400-metre relay at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, stripping the team of its gold medals because one member, Antonio Pettigrew, admitted using performance-enhancing drugs.

"A decision on reallocating the medals and diplomas of those affected by these decisions will be made at a future meeting of the IOC executive board," the IOC said Saturday in a statement issued in Beijing.

It was the fourth gold and sixth overall medal stripped from the 2000 U.S. track contingent in eight months for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

In May, Pettigrew admitted injecting human growth hormone and the oxygen-boosting drug EPO, both banned in track. He proceeded to surrender his medal in June and Saturday's decision to strip the remaining team members of their gold medals was considered a formality on the part of the IOC.

Also losing their medals from the relay are Michael Johnson and twins Alvin and Calvin Harrison, who all ran in the final. Jerome Young and Angelo Taylor were also stripped of their gold medals as they ran with the team in the preliminaries.

Johnson, the world record holder in the 200 and 400 metres, said in June that he felt "cheated, betrayed and let down" by Pettigrew's admission and had already said he was returning his medal.

Johnson and Taylor are the only two members of the relay team that haven't been tainted by the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Alvin Harrison was hit with a four-year ban in 2004 after he admitted to using performance-enhancers, while Calvin Harrison received a two-year suspension after his positive test for a banned stimulant in 2003.

Young was banned for life because of doping violations, including a positive test prior to the Sydney Games. The IOC had tried to strip the relay team because of that result, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the entire team should not be disqualified and the remaining members were allowed to keep their medals.

"We support the action taken today by the IOC," USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel said. "Athletes who make the unacceptable choice to cheat should recognize that there will be consequences. Those consequences can be severe including the loss of medals and results. We're in full support of this action. In other matters like this in the past we've worked with the IOC to make certain medals will be returned, and we'll do so again."

Pettigrew's seventh-place finish in the individual 400 metres in Sydney was also disqualified by the IOC on Saturday and he has also been banned from participating in the upcoming Beijing Games "in any capacity," including as a competitor, coach or technical official.

The USOC said there were no plans for the retired Pettigrew to be in Beijing.

The IOC's decision comes four months after it stripped three gold and two bronze medals from American Marion Jones at the Sydney Games because of her doping history.

Jones's admission of drug use cost her teammates their gold in the women's 1,600-metre relay and bronze from the women's 400-metre relay. Jones also lost her gold medals in the individual 100 metres and 200 metres, as well as her bronze medal in the long jump.