Burning Question

Q. How do you repossess an Olympic medal?

A. Last week, in a live ceremony on NBC's Today show, U.S. freestyle wrestler Brandon Slay was awarded an Olympic gold. Why so late? Because Germany's Alexander Leipold (above, blue, wrestling Slay) was stripped of his victory after he tested positive for steroids. Original bronze medalist Moon Eui Jae of South Korea and fourth-place finisher Adem Bereket of Turkey were bumped up to silver and bronze, respectively. Leipold and the Germans promptly shipped back gold, although, as IOC vice President Anita DeFrantz explains, the medal was in "unsuitable" condition. (Had Leipold trashed it? DeFrantz attributes the nicks and dents to "wear and tear," but adds, "Returning your medal is an emotional moment.") Getting Slay's silver back was easy—he FedExed it to the USOC-but it wasn't in great shape, either, having been handled by hundreds of people since Sydney. Moon's bronze was perfect, but the IOC sent it to Turkey before the Today ceremony. So for the show the IOC dug a gold out of its vault in Lausanne, a silver was borrowed from U.S. cyclist Mari Holden, and swimmer Dara Torres lent Bereket one of her bronzes.