POC to appeal Alkhaldi SEAG case before Court of Arbitration for Sport

MANILA, Philippines — There’s still hope for swimmer Jasmine Alkhaldi to reclaim her gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games in Burma (Myanmar).

The Philippine Olympic Committee is set to appeal Alkhaldi’s case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland in a drastic effort to recover the medal she won in the 100-meter freestyle event.

The 20-year-old Philippine record holder of the women’s 100m and 50m butterfly returned the gold—her first in any international meet—after organizers upheld the protest of Thai officials that the race had a false start.

The technical officials, led by Singapore’s Woon Sui Kut, ordered a re-swim even after Alkhaldi, whose father is a Saudi, had been awarded the medal.

“This is the first time that I heard something like this,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco Jr.  “We’re studying the filing of a complaint before the CAS.”

The London Olympian settled for the bronze behind winner Natthanan Thunkrajang of Thailand and Singapore’s Ting Wen Quah.