CAS cold-shoulders Raducan

quot;The panel is aware of the impact of its decision on a fine, young athlete,quot; the cas said in a statement. quot;It finds, in balancing the interests of Miss Raducan with the commitment of the Olympic movement to drug-free sport, the anti-doping code must be enforced without compromise.quot;

Raducan, who will be 17 on Saturday, tested positive for the banned stimulant pseudo-ephedrine after winning the women8217;s artistic all-round invidual gold on September 21.

Her disqualification set off a wave of sympathy for the petite athlete after the International Olympic Committee IOC acknowledged that she had innocently ingested the drug in an over-the-counter cold remedy administered by her team doctor.

Romanian team spokesman Alex Epuran said Raducan, one of the stars of the Sydney Games, would be shattered by the news.

quot;I think she will be heartbroken. I am,quot; Epuran told Reuters.IOC director-general Francois Carrard said: quot;It was a very difficult decision to take for the IOC board. This ruling demonstrates that it had no option.quot;