IOC Rejects U.S. Swimmer’s Petition for 1972 Gold Medal

Rick DeMont’s quest to be reinstated 24 years after the Munich Olympics ended in disappointment Monday when the International Olympic Committee denied his petition for the second time in three months.

The IOC executive board in Lausanne, Switzerland, rejected DeMont’s arguments that the recent decision involving Samantha Riley of Australia, who tested positive for a painkiller in December but was not banned, warranted a different result in his case.

“The IOC executive board is not a sort of court of appeal to reopen cases 24 years later,” said Francois Carrard, IOC director general.

DeMont, assistant swim coach at Arizona, was stripped of his gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle in 1972 after testing positive for ephedrine.

Then a 16-year-old from Santa Rosa, Calif., DeMont said the banned substance was found in a prescription medication he took for asthma. He said he had notified officials before the race that he was taking the medication.

“The facts are there and they haven’t changed in 24 years,” DeMont said.

David Ulich, a Beverly Hills lawyer helping DeMont, said, “Contrary to the desire of the IOC, we intend to continue to pursue this matter.”