Thanou to take her case to IOC Ethics Commission

GREEK sprinter Ekaterini Thanou has taken her case to the International Olympic Committee's Ethics Commission after she did not receive Marion Jones' 100m gold medal from the Sydney 2000 Games.

LEGAL ACTION: Ekaterini Thanou (r) has taken her case to the IOC Ethics Commission after she was not handed Olympic gold (Getty Images)

Jones captured 100m and 200m gold as well as long jump bronze in Sydney but has since admitted the use of banned substances, served a six-month prison sentence for perjury relating to her drugs use, and was formally stripped of her medals by the IOC in December 2007.

Thanou finished second behind Jones in Sydney but in an Olympic first, the IOC opted against handing the medal to the Greek sprinter, who herself has a chequered past.

One the eve of Athens 2004, Thanou, along with fellow Greek sprinter Kostas Kenteris, allegedly faked a motorcycle accident to avoid a drugs test.

It was her third missed test and as a result she served a two-year suspension from the sport, leading the IOC to withhold the gold medal, instead awarding a second silver to Jamaica's Tayna Lawrence and bronze to Merlene Ottey, also of Jamaica.

But Thanou's legal team have sent a letter to the IOC Ethics Commission asking for a reversal of the decision, citing ten allegations according to HellenicAthletes.com.

These include abuse of power, discrimination and a violation of human rights while Gregory Ioannidis, who is leading Thanou's legal team, has previously suggested a multi-million dollar lawsuit was not out of the question.

Upon making the decision at their Executive Board meeting last week, the IOC expressed their confidence in proving victorious in any such court case.  

"The IOC realises that they have a strong moral and a good legal case to withhold the gold medal," said IOC spokesman Mark Adams.

The IOC's Code of Ethics obliges the Ethics Commission to investigate all charges filed.