London: Declaring "this is not the end of the story", the IOC said yesterday it will fight to restore its Olympic doping rule for future games after a court overturned American gold medalist LaShawn Merritt's ban from competing in London next year.
"This is not a defeat," International Olympic Committee vice-president Thomas Bach said. "We will not give up."
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) threw out the IOC rule that bars any athlete who has received a doping suspension of more than six months from competing in the next summer or winter games.
The three-man CAS panel said the rule was "invalid and unenforceable" because it amounted to a second sanction and did not comply with the World Anti-Doping Agency code.
"This is not a defeat," International Olympic Committee vice-president Thomas Bach said. "We will not give up."
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) threw out the IOC rule that bars any athlete who has received a doping suspension of more than six months from competing in the next summer or winter games.
The three-man CAS panel said the rule was "invalid and unenforceable" because it amounted to a second sanction and did not comply with the World Anti-Doping Agency code.
