By
The Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia - Romania has returned its remaining two medals in the Olympic women's all-around gymnastics competition to protest Andreea Raducan's loss of her gold medal for taking cold medication containing a banned substance, Romanian national television reported yesterday.
"The gold, silver and bronze medals have been returned although initially (coach) Octavian Belu favored keeping the gold and silver medals which the Romanians would have won anyway," Romanian TV said in the report from Sydney.
Belu was reported to have said that 16-year-old Raducan had decided to give up gymnastics, television said. Belu could not be reached for further comment.
The 4-foot-10, 82-pound Raducan was stripped of her gold from the women's all-around yesterday after she tested positive for pseudoephedrine, a banned stimulant. She is the first gymnast ever to be stripped of a medal because of a drug violation.
The action by the International Olympic Committee's executive board meant that Raducan's teammate Simona Amanar moved up to get the gold, while Romanian Maria Olaru got the silver. Liu Xuan of China then got the bronze.
Raducan has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and a hearing was scheduled for Wednesday.
The Romanian team doctor who gave her the drug was expelled from the games and suspended through the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake and 2004 Summer Games in Athens.
"In the fight against doping, we have to be tough and be blind to emotions and feelings," said Francois Carrard, the International Olympic Committee's director general.
