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Friday, March 21, 2008
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Sport
Cavic banned over Kosovo slogan

Milorad Cavic celebrates Serbia's first-ever European swimming title wearing a t-shirt that says
'Kosovo is Serbia' [AFP]
Milorad Cavic, Serbian butterfly gold medalist, has been banned from further individual events at the European swimming championships for wearing a t-shirt with a political slogan at the meet in Eindhoven.
The Serbian swimming federation was also fined $10,800 (7,000 Euros) for the breach of rules at Cavic's 50 metres butterfly medal ceremony earlier this week, swimming's governing body LEN said on Friday.
American-based Cavic wore a red t-shirt bearing the words "Kosovo is Serbia" in his native language on Wednesday after breaking the European 50m butterfly record for the second time in two days to win Serbia's first-ever European swimming title.

Serbia are not due to swim the two remaining men's relays, so he is effectively out of the championships.

LEN said in a statement that its disciplinary panel met on Thursday to conduct a hearing with those involved and found that the inscription on the T-shirt "constitutes a clear political action in violation of the LEN Guidelines for Safety and Security at LEN."

Cavic, who was born in Anaheim, California, and lives in Islamorada, Florida, had been due to swim in the 100m freestyle heats on Friday and had the fastest entry time for the 100m butterfly heats on Saturday.

Cavic, 23, was sixth in both the 50m and 100m butterfly at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne.

The 100m butterfly is an Olympic event but the 50m butterfly is not.
 Source: Agencies
 
 
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