18. April 2004  
Moutier / Switzerland  
Artistic Gymnastics

Olympic champ Deferr stripped of medals for doping

Gervasio Deferr (ESP)

MOUTIER (Switzerland): -- A top sports court confirmed a decision to strip Spain’s Olympic vault champion Gervasio Deferr of all titles won in the three months period after a drug test revealed traces of cannabis, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) said on Sunday.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Moutier, Switzerland, on Wednesday confirmed a three month suspension given to Deferr by the FIG last year......
Deferr, the first Spaniard to win an Olympic gymnastics gold in Sydney, tested positive for the drug during the Spanish championships at Vitoria in October 2002. Over the next three months, the Spaniard won a silver medal on the floor exercise during the world artistic gymnastics championships in Debrecen, Hungary, as well as claiming victory at an international tournament in Paris.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Moutier, Switzerland, on Wednesday confirmed a three month suspension given to Deferr by the FIG last year, the gymnastics federation said. “The exclusion operates retrospectively from 19 October 2002, being the date of the first drug test,” it said in a statement.“
The results achieved in the World Cup events in Paris and Stuttgart, as well as those of the World Championships in Debrecen will be removed from the lists,” it said.