IOC rejects duplicate medals for South Korea, Germany

The International Olympic Committee rejected South Korean requests for the awarding of duplicate gold medals due to a judging mistake in the men's all-around gymnastics event won by American Paul Hamm, IOC President Jacques Rogge said on Friday.

The IOC also turned down an official German petition for duplicate gold medals following a judging error in the three-day equestrian competition.

"We are not going to give medals for so-called humanitarian or emotional reasons," Rogge said at a breakfast meeting with reporters.

Rogge said the IOC will consult with international sports federations to see how judging and scoring can be improved, and that gymnastics has already agreed to revise its rules.

Hamm won the gold last week after judges incorrectly scored Yang Tae-young's parallel bars routine, failing to give the South Korean enough points for the level of difficulty. Yang ended up with the bronze.

The international federation, known as FIG, apologised for the mistake and suspended three judges, but said it couldn't change the results under its rules.

Germany, meanwhile, lost two equestrian three-day eventing golds after a technical judging mistake. France, Britain and the United States won an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"There was a huge Korean push to have a second medal, and a huge German push to have a second medal, but we said no," Rogge said.