October 11, 2007	Thursday	Ramazan 28, 1428

SYDNEY, Oct 10: The Australian Olympic Committee on Wednesday said its US counterpart had apologised for track star Marion Jones’ used of banned substances during the Sydney Olympics.

In a letter, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) offered a “sincere and humble apology” to the Australian officials, athletes and individuals who contributed to the 2000 Sydney Games.

“Regardless of the actions of this one particular athlete, we are convinced that the Sydney Games will long be remembered as one of the greatest celebrations of sport and humankind,” wrote president Peter V. Ueberroth and general secretary James E. Scherr.

This was due to the “brilliant organization, passion of your nation and the spectacular performances on the field of play,” they said.

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said the letter, which he made public, was “most gracious.”

He welcomed the US committee’s commitment “to making certain the team (they) take to the 2008 Beijing Games is clean.”

Jones, the golden girl of the Sydney Olympics, handed back the three gold and two bronze medals she won here after admitting in a US court last week to using performance-enhancing drugs.

Coates said Jones’ revelations should not lessen the reputation of the Sydney Games where there were about 300 events.

“I think it’s an insult to 99 percent of the medal winners to suggest that all of the results were drug-affected because they were not,” Coates said.—AFP