Annus bids to keep gold

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said that Annus wants last month's International Olympic Committee decision annulled and the gold medal in the men's hammer throw event be awarded to him.

Annus insisted last week that, contrary to reports, he would not return his medal and he vowed to fight for it in court.

The Lausanne-based CAS said on Tuesday it would hear the appeal but gave no date for the decision. CAS would only say that, as a general rule, it delivers its decisions within four months from the filing of the appeal.

Annus won the hammer throw in Athens but was later disqualified after he did not meet an IOC deadline before the Games ended to submit another urine sample. Japan's Koji Murofushi was awarded the gold medal.

The 31-year-old was dope tested twice during the Athens Games, including after his victory on August 22.

Both tests were negative but the IOC called for another out-of-competition test because of suspicions that he may have used a contraption to dupe testers.

The IOC said during the Games that "an analysis of the two urine samples provided during the period of the Games showed evidence of belonging to two different athletes, indicating possible tampering".

Annus has said reports his two urine samples at the Games being from two different people are false.

Last week Annus's Hungarian team mate Robert Fazekas launched a bid to have his Olympic discus gold medal returned.

Fazekas was stripped of his medal at the Athens Games for failing to provide a complete urine sample -- a serious anti-doping violation under IOC rules.

Fazekas had provided just 25ml of urine when the required minimum quantity was 75ml and the IOC said they had suspicions he had been trying to use a contraption to avoid giving a sample of his own urine.