Paul Hamm asked to give up gold medal
(CRIENGLISH.com)
Updated: 2004-08-29 14:57

World gymnastics officials have asked Paul Hamm to give up his gold medal as the ultimate show of sportsmanship, but the U.S. Olympic Committee told them to take responsibility for their own mistakes and refused even to deliver the request, according to CRIENGLISH.com.

In a dispute over scores that has turned into a political squabble, the head of the International Gymnastics Federation suggested in a letter to Hamm that giving the all-around gold medal to South Korea's Yang Tae-young "would be recognized as the ultimate demonstration of fair play by the whole world."

The International Gymnastics Federation president Bruno Grandi tried to send the letter to Hamm through the U.S. Olympic Committee, which declined to pass it along.

Hamm returned to the United States earlier this week. He declined comment through his agent, but he has said in the past that he has no intention of giving up his medal unless ordered to do so by the International Gymnastics Federation.

Yang, the bronze medalist, was wrongly docked a tenth of a point on his parallel bars routine and finished third, 0.049 points behind Hamm. Add the extra 0.100, and Yang would have finished 0.051 points ahead of Hamm.

Three judges were suspended after the error was discovered.