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US athletics faces Young deadline
Jan 30: The US Olympic Committee has given USA Track & Field a month to cooperate in the Jerome Young doping case or face losing their governing body status.
Jan 30: The US Olympic Committee has given USA Track & Field a month to cooperate in the Jerome Young doping case or face losing their governing body status.
Young was part of the USA's victorious 4x400m relay team at the 2000 Olympics, despite having tested positive for nandrolone in 1999.
He was cleared on appeal by USATF in a secret process.
But the International Olympic Committee and the IAAF, athletics' world governing body, have yet be told why.
USOC president Bill Martin wrote to USATF on Thursday, saying they must provide the IOC and IAAF with documents in the Young case by 24 February or the USOC will begin decertification proceedings.
Martin also said USATF should provide a public apology for the problems its handling of the matter has caused the Olympic movement.
"For the purposes of USATF's relationship with the USOC, resolution of this matter will require USATF to obtain demonstrable, verifiable evidence that the IOC and IAAF are satisfied with USATF's efforts to bring this matter to closure," Martin said.
USATF officials claim that because of confidentiality rules they can not provide details or acknowledge Young is the athlete in question.
But Martin argued that arguments for privacy are invalid because Young told the media that he was the athlete.
In the letter, the USOC said it will cut off negotiations for nearly $3m (£1.6m) in funding and deny USATF officials accreditation to this summer's Athens Games until the Young case is resolved.
The IAAF is expected to take the issue to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the sports world's highest court.
Young and the rest of the 4x400m relay team, including Michael Johnson, could be stripped of their medals if the IOC finds Young was improperly cleared.
The USOC would govern track and field in the United States and select the US Olympic team if USATF is stripped of its Olympic charter.
He was cleared on appeal by USATF in a secret process.
But the International Olympic Committee and the IAAF, athletics' world governing body, have yet be told why.
USOC president Bill Martin wrote to USATF on Thursday, saying they must provide the IOC and IAAF with documents in the Young case by 24 February or the USOC will begin decertification proceedings.
Martin also said USATF should provide a public apology for the problems its handling of the matter has caused the Olympic movement.
"For the purposes of USATF's relationship with the USOC, resolution of this matter will require USATF to obtain demonstrable, verifiable evidence that the IOC and IAAF are satisfied with USATF's efforts to bring this matter to closure," Martin said.
USATF officials claim that because of confidentiality rules they can not provide details or acknowledge Young is the athlete in question.
But Martin argued that arguments for privacy are invalid because Young told the media that he was the athlete.
In the letter, the USOC said it will cut off negotiations for nearly $3m (£1.6m) in funding and deny USATF officials accreditation to this summer's Athens Games until the Young case is resolved.
The IAAF is expected to take the issue to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the sports world's highest court.
Young and the rest of the 4x400m relay team, including Michael Johnson, could be stripped of their medals if the IOC finds Young was improperly cleared.
The USOC would govern track and field in the United States and select the US Olympic team if USATF is stripped of its Olympic charter.
Bureau Report