Fazekas to continue

Disgraced Olympic discus champion Robert Fazekas has changed his mind about retiring after the Hungarian athletics federation banned him for only a year for a doping offence. Fazekas was stripped of the gold medal he won in Athens in August for tampering

Eurosport

Image credit: TNT Sports

The federation banned Fazekas and Olympic hammer champion Adrian Annus, also stripped of his gold for doping, for two years on September 30. Both athletes appealed.

The 29-year-old Fazekas announced his retirement on Tuesday to avoid an expected two-year ban. Hungary's news agency MTI reported the federation had in fact reduced the ban to a single year.

Annus's two-year ban was rescinded on Thursday. The athlete announced his retirement after winning the gold in Athens and initially refused to return his medal.

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Olympic officials said his urine samples had shown evidence of belonging to two different athletes.

Both athletes are due to have hearings at the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport in February.

They want the International Olympic Committee decisions annulled and their gold medals returned.

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