Raducan launches appeal

Raducan will take her appeal to sport's highest authority

Romanian gymnast Andreea Raducan is to appeal against the controversial decision to strip her of her gold medal following a positive drugs test.

Despite being told by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that her character "remains unstained", the 16-year-old will take her case to sport's highest appeal authority, the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

A statement from the CAS confirmed: "Romanian gymnast Andreea Raducan filed an appeal with the ad hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport challenging the decision made by the IOC Executive Board earlier this morning to disqualify her."

Raducan's case will go before a closed hearing of three arbitrators in Sydney on Wednesday.

Hearing

The statement added: "The CAS will decide after that hearing whether or not a final decision will be issued on the same day."

Raducan has been allowed to keep her team gold medal and the individual vault silver she won as the IOC decided she was not primarily to blame.

The athlete is the best gymnast in the world at this time - she has proved it

  Romanian Olympic Committee president Ion Tiriac

Romanian officials are adamant that she took the drug - the stimulant pseudoephedrine - by accident in a cold medication.

As a result, the Romanian team doctor has been expelled and suspended from the winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002 and the next summer Games in 2004.

Romanian Olympic Committee president Ion Tiriac claims his country's officials were told on Monday afternoon of the positive result, but Raducan still competed in the individual floor exercise later that day.

Prescribed

Tiriac maintains Raducan had taken two cold medicine pills prescribed by the team doctor.

Both were over-the-counter drugs, one containing pseudoephedrine.

"We believe this case is completely irrelevant," said Tiriac. "The athlete is the best gymnast in the world at this time - she has proved it."

I call upon all those people who love the sport to compensate this athlete's financial losses that were stolen from her

  Cristian Gatu, COR vice president

Senior IOC member Jacques Rogge said: "The young girl is not to blame but the grave negligence of her doctor who has furthermore admitted he made a mistake in prescribing a medicine for a cold."

Collection fund

Meanwhile, the Romanian Olympic Committee (COR) vice-president Cristian Gatu has announced that a collection fund had been set up for Raducan.

"The lethargic attitude of those parties involved in the verification of banned substances by gymnasts have tarnished the efforts of a young girl and the entire Olympic family," Gatu said.

"I call upon all those people who love the sport to join our COR foundation in order to compensate this athlete's financial losses that were stolen from her," he added.

Romania's Sports minister had promised 15,000 dollars to each athlete that won gold, but Raducan's positive test had deprived her of this reward.