ATHENS, Sept. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced here Friday afternoon that the Paralympic Games gold medal retrieved from an anti-doping violatorjudoka from Cuba would not be re-distributed.

    IPC updated its announcement in the morning, saying that the nore-distribution ruling was made in light of the policy of the International Judo Federation (IJF), the sport's world governing body.

    Cuban judoka Sergio Arturo Perez Hechevarria of men's B3 60kg category, returned positive results in an in-competition doping test on September 18, 2004.

    His urine sample was found to have traces of a glucocorticosteroid agent, prednisolone, "which is on the 2004 list of prohibited substances in-competition," the IPC said.

    The 35-year-old judoka from Palma Soriano, Cuba won the gold medal in the 2002 world championships, but had to settle for the silver in the 2003 world championships.

    The Cuban was the third athlete at the Athens games to have been caught of doping. Azerbaijan powerlifters Sara Abbasova of women's 82.50kg and Goundouz Ismayilov of men's 90kg category had returned positive results from tests done in the pre-games period.The two have been disqualified from Athens games and banned for life.

    In accordance with the IPC Anti-Doping Code, and after a hearing of the IPC Anti-Doping Subcommittee, the IPC Management Committee ratified the decision not to impose any further sanctionthan loss of results and the gold medal of Perez from the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, as well as the imposition of a warning and a reprimand.

    The reason is that the drug is easy to obtain over the counter and it is not performance-enhancing in judo, explained Miriam Wilkens, IPC Communications Director. Enditem