LAUSANNE: The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday said it had rejected an appeal by Taiwan's Chu Mu-yen against his exclusion as a candidate for election to the IOC Athletes' Commission on the grounds of unfair campaigning.

In a statement, the Swiss-based tribunal said it had upheld last August's decision by the International Olympic Committee to bar the 2004 Athens taekwondo gold medallist and 2008 Beijing bronze winner from the election race.

Chu was accused of campaigning in "an unauthorised area", handing out name cards and showing documents on a tablet computer, during last year's London Olympics, the CAS noted.

It said that such actions had "influenced the election process" and "gave him an advantage over the other candidates who had complied with the rules".

As a result,the CAS said, the sanction imposed by the IOC was not disproportionate.

It underlined that Chu's behaviour was "more due to excessive zeal rather than a desire to cheat."

"His reputation and integrity as a sportsman should not be affected by this decision," it insisted.

Membership of the IOC Athletes' Commission is prestigious in the world of sport, as it grants the right to be part of the IOC itself.

Chu was not the only athlete to fall foul of campaigning rules. Next month, the CAS is due to hear the appeal of Japanese hammer thrower Koji Murofushi, who won gold in Athens.

He was likewise faulted by the IOC for his actions in London, where he won the bronze medal.

Pending the outcome of the appeals, French triple canoe slalom champion Tony Estanguet, Slovakian shooting star Danka Bartekova, Zimbabwean swimmer Kirsty Coventry and Australian rower James Tomkins were the remaining candidates for positions on the Commission.

The IOC has meanwhile frozen the admissions procedure to the Commission until the international body holds its next session in Buenos Aires in September. - AFP

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