WASHINGTON, May 21: Marion Jones, a five-medal winner from the Sydney Olympics whose feats are clouded by nagging drug accusations, is fighting her exclusion from major European athletics meets. Rich Nichols, an attorney for Jones, sent a letter to the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) in hopes of pressuring Europe’s top meet organizers to include the 29-year-old in this year’s meets.

Jones and the father of her son, world 100-meter record holder Tim Montgomery, were not invited by top European meet organizers because of their Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) ties.

Jones has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and has denied any wrongdoing, but she has links to the BALCO Labs steroid scandal and BALCO founder Victor Conte claims she is a doping cheat, drawing a defamation lawsuit from Jones in reply.

Nichols said in his letter that by banning Jones, European meet organizers have “unilaterally, very boldly and publicly violated and contravened the IAAF rules.”

Istvan Gyulai, IAAF chief, said that he would not interfere with the decisions of the officials.

—AFP