Winning ban appeal puts Tong back on mat, says coach

BEIJING - Wu Weifeng, the coach of China's Olympic champion judoka Tong Wen, welcomed the overturn of her doping ban by the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) on Wednesday and said Tong was now the legitimate gold medal favorite for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The CAS overturned a two-year ban on Tong, which was imposed by the International Judo Federation (IJF) last year. It cleared the four-time world champion and Beijing Olympic gold medalist, citing a "procedural failure" in laboratory tests.

"Our long-awaited arbitration result finally comes," an emotional Wu said. "She (Tong) never stopped appealing her innocence and the chance to appear at the London Olympics. It's definitely good news."