What Happens to the Medals?
Now that Marion Jones has finally told the truth and admitted to doping, what happens to her Olympic medals? She has been instructed to return them to the Olympic Committee before they get stripped. And based on her tearful apology I’m sure Jones will comply with these instructions. But once the medals are returned, then what?
If it absolutely has to get there overnight
I have this image in my head of Jones dropping her medals into a FedEx overnight delivery box and heading off to the nearest Kinkos. Then I see the silver medalist receiving a FedEx package containing a gold medal with instructions to send her silver medal to the bronze medalist and so on. The process is repeated for each medalist in each event that Jones won a medal. Is this really what happens?
Maybe FedEx isn’t the official Olympic shipping partner but you get the idea — a domino like medal shift is about to take place.
I guess if you didn’t win a medal it’s nice to get one. And I suppose if you got a silver medal it’s nice to replace it with gold. But what about the honor and glory of standing center stage while your country’s anthem gets played? Better yet, what about the newly crowned bronze medalist that never got a chance to even stand on the podium?
A liar and a thief
Jones has done more than lie to everyone for the last 7 years. She has also stolen a moment in time from all the competing athletes that were cheated out of a medal. Receiving any type of medal in Olympic competition has to rank up there as one of life’s greatest moments. And now that moment has come and gone for anyone that competed against Jones and lost.
Jones isn’t just a liar, she’s a thief. And while she will undoubtedly give back the medals she stole by cheating, she can NOT return the moment in time she stole from her competitors.
Technorati Tags: Marion Jones, Olympic Committee, medal
on October 11th, 2007 at 9:39 am
Perhaps there should be a nationally televised medal stripping ceremony followed by a new medal awards ceremony for the runner-up who has been patiently waiting for her moment. Seems fair and balanced to me.
on October 14th, 2007 at 8:32 am
I believe there is such a plan in the works. While on this topic, however, I read an interesting blog entry (can’t remember where) that posed the question about Jones’ relay team members. What now happens to them? If Jones has to give back her medal, don’t they have to do the same? Doesn’t the disqualification of one team member disqualify everyone?
on October 15th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Oooooo, good point. I didn’t think of that one.
on October 15th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
I’m picturing 3 very pissed off sprinters saying to each other, “Damn! I knew we never should have invited Marion to run with us!”