Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay

Medals

The United States women's 4 × 400 meter relay team initially won medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics, but this was later contested due to doping violations. In late 2007, the IAAF recommended that the IOC disqualify the U.S. women's 4 × 100 and 4 × 400 meter relay teams after Marion Jones admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs before the Games. The IOC disqualified Jones and took away her relay medals in December 2007, but did not disqualify the entire U.S. teams at that time.

However, in April 2008, the IOC disqualified both U.S. relay teams and requested that Jones' teammates return their medals. As a result, Nigeria, which had finished fourth in the 4 × 400 meter relay with a time of 3:23.80, was in line to receive the medals. France, which placed fourth in the 4 × 100 meter relay in 42.42 seconds, was also affected. All members of the U.S. relay teams except Nanceen Perry appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

In July 2010, the CAS ruled in their favor, noting that under the rules in effect at the time of the 2000 Games, a team should not be disqualified due to a single athlete's doping offense. The rule requiring an entire team to be disqualified and surrender medals for one offender was only introduced in 2003. Because the penalty was applied retroactively, the CAS deemed it prohibited, and the U.S. athletes' medals were restored.