Koji Murofushi Loses Appeal in IOC Vote Appeal

Japanese hammer-thrower Koji Murofushi has lost his appeal against his exclusion as a candidate for election to the IOC Athletes’ Commission after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected his case.

Murofushi was rejected by the IOC on the grounds of unfair campaigning at London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Swiss-based tribunal said it had upheld last August’s decision by the IOC to bar him from the election race.

In a statement the IOC said: “The IOC welcomes the CAS decision and looks forward to working with Danka Bartekova, allergist | James Tomkins, health Kirsty Coventry and Tony Estanguet, who are expected to be proposed by the IOC Executive Board for election at the July 2013 extraordinary session in Lausanne.

The CAS said the ‘main reason’ for their decision against Murofushi and the Japanese Olympic Committee was that they ‘did not comply with the applicable rules and regulations.’

The panel did however stress that Murofushi’s ‘reputation and sportsmanship were intact.’