Martina appeals over 200m silver

Martina was disqualified after he had celebrated his silver with the crowd

Sprinter Churandy Martina has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) after he was denied a 200m silver medal at the Beijing Olympics.

The 24-year-old from Netherlands Antilles finished second behind Jamaican Usain Bolt.

But he was later disqualified for running out of his lane following an appeal by the United States team.

The Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee claims the decision should be annulled "mainly for formal reasons".

The placings in the race - won by Bolt in a world record time - were changed twice in the aftermath.

American Wallace Spearmon, who finished third, learned of his disqualification while he was on his celebration lap.

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The US lost a subsequent appeal against that decision and then lodged a separate protest about Martina - who thought he had won his country's second Olympic medal.

It meant American Shawn Crawford was promoted to second, with compatriot Walter Dix taking the bronze.

However, the Netherlands Antilles team claim the US appealed after the 30-minute deadline.

They are also concerned that the IAAF - athletics' world governing body - did not use the correct footage to judge Martina's case.

In a statement on their website, NAOC director Remco Tevreden described the case as a "tragic incident".

"We are convinced that justice will prevail," he said.