Two years after the 1964 Games, the International Olympic
Committee had awarded the Joseph siblings the bronze medal after
disclosing that the West German pairs team had violated their
amateur status by signing a professional contract.
Canadians Debbi Wilkes and Guy Revell moved up one spot to the
silver medal, while the Josephs, who had finished fourth in the
competition, claimed bronze.
But in 1987, the IOC said Germans Marika Kilius and Hans-Jürgen
Bäumler were "rehabilitated" and quietly re-awarded their silver
medals. The IOC never explained the medal consequences of its
decision.
On Tuesday, the IOC announced that the Germans and Canadians are
each silver-medal winners, while the Americans are the bronze
medalists in the pairs event.
"An Olympic medal is the ultimate sports symbol of hard work,
sacrifice and the perseverance of athletes, parents and
coaches," Vivian and Ronald Joseph said in a statement.
"We are happy the issue of our medal has finally been resolved."
(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|