The Court of Arbitration for Sport has rejected the appeal of Brazilian marathon runner Vanderlei de Lima for an Athens Olympic gold medal after a spectator attacked him during the race.
De Lima was leading the men's marathon until Cornelius Horan, a former Catholic priest from Ireland, shoved the Brazilian into the crowd. Italy's Stefano Baldini won the gold and de Lima finished with the bronze medal.
The runner and the Brazilian Olympic Committee requested that two gold medals be awarded for the race because of the incident. The International Association of Athletics Federations, which has jurisdiction over the competition under IOC rules, rejected de Lima's appeal in August of 2004. The incident delayed de Lima by 15 seconds, but he finished one minute 16 seconds behind the winner.
The Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration confirmed the federation's decision, which means the results of the marathon will stand. The International Olympic Committee awarded de Lima an honorary medal named after the founder of the modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, for his demonstration of fair play and Olympic values.
