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SPORTS ZONE 1: Fans Buy Medals for Athletes

The Summer Olympics held in Athens last summer may be best remembered for its strict steroid testing policy and the number of athletes stripped of medals or disqualified after competition. But at least two ill fated champions aren’t letting the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have the last word.

Hungarians Adrian Annus and Robert Fazekas both won and quickly lost gold medals. Annus, a hammer thrower and Fazekas, a discus thrower, received imitation gold medals at a special ceremony at their training center. The medals were purchased with money donated by fans of the athletes.

The medals are oversized and have a symbolic image of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory. According to the Associated Press, the Goddess has a distorted face that reflects the mood of Annus' and Faskas' fans. They believe their idols have been mistreated by Olympic officials. The other side of the medal has "Golden Justice" written in Hungarian.

Annus lost his medal because the IOC said he might have tampered with his drug test. Fazekas lost his because he refused to take a drug test after the competition. Both athletes appealed the loss of their medals. A Swiss based court will hear the cases next month.

--Written by Sarah Kurachek

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Read SPORTS ZONE 2: Coach Struggles to Return