BERLIN (Reuters) - U.S. sprinter Crystal Cox could face an International Olympic Committee disciplinary hearing after the 2004 Olympics women's 4X400 meters relay alternate was banned for doping, the IOC said on Monday.
Cox, who won a gold medal as an alternate, has been banned for four years and had all her results since 2001 disqualified for using prohibited anabolic agents and hormones between 2001 and 2004.
"The IOC is looking into the file and considering setting up a disciplinary commission," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.
Traditionally, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has stripped national relay teams of medals when a team member, including alternates, has been suspended for or admitted to doping.
Cox ran in the preliminary round of the 2004 Athens Games women's 4x400 relay where the American team of Monique Henderson, Monique Hennagan, Sanya Richards and Deedee Trotter won gold. Russia took silver and Jamaica bronze.
If the United States were to be stripped of the Athens gold because of Cox's suspension, it would be the fourth Olympic relay medal an American team has lost because of doping since 2000.
The IOC stripped the 2000 Olympics U.S. women's 4x100 bronze medalists and 4x400 gold medal winners because of doping admissions by sprinter Marion Jones.
It also took the 2000 Sydney Games gold medals of the U.S. men's 4x400 relay team which included Michael Johnson because of doping violations by Jerome Young and Antonio Pettigrew.
(Writing by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by John Mehaffey)
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